My friend has a piece of coral that his son sent him from Australia. The other day he found what looks like a coin embedded in the coral. A crude photo is attached. The coin is 1 1/4 inches across, is octagonal shaped, and is a little thinner than a dime. Can someone identify what it might be? I probably could get a better photo if that would help. I am a new member, and I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong forum. Thanks, Charles
Thats cool I have no clue what type of coin it is or the value, but that is one of the cooliest stories I have ever heard. I get excited when I find a peny heads up on the ground.
I read one time about treasure hunters on how they go to different parts of the world looking for treasure from sunking ships, but what I'm talking about profesionals treasure hunters and they do find alot of coins that being enbeded in coral for years. Sometimes when hurricanes hit this parts the current under water move pieces from this corals to shallow water were people sometimes find them. Great find and hopefully that coin is worth something. Good luck buddy....
Thanks. With that information I found some pictures here: http://www.newworldtreasures.com/cointypes.htm The coin looks similar to the second example. I wonder if it is real or just a souvenir copy. Charles
I was in Australia two months ago,I visited DOWNIES coin shop,one of the famous australian coin shops,here I got their monthly magazine where they were there was a large topic talking about SAO JOSE's wreck. They were also seling shipwrek coins,very facinating history,the ship lost off in 1622..in India. in this link there are informations that u may need http://www.downies.com/australia/store/product.asp?id=4179# 8 reals FAIR condition was priced 500$ and called "Treasure Quality" and fine condition was priced 1500$ and called "Best Quality" Based on ur image,ur coin still kept its fine details,In my opinion it should be a Best Quality.
Sweet find. I wish I could find something like that. Congrats.I wouod try to clean it as someone suggested.
On further reflection, my friend, Bob, said he believes the coral came from a small island off of Puerto Rico. I had never been particularly interested in coins, but after reading about the history of these coins last night, I can understand why people are interested in them. I never knew that the terms "two bits", etc. came from Spanish currency. Charles
It´s 1 real of Philippvs II, Lima mint. Assayer Diego de la Torre (D on the right of shield), dated between 1577 and 1589. I´m sorry my english.
Awesome find. I'm a reef geek and a coin collector. (I grow live coral in an aquarium in my kitchen. My main hobby before this.) By any chance do you have a picture of the coral it was imbedded in? I might recognize it and then we could narrow down where it may have come from.
Now that is cool... Love your train of thought. Where r u and what corals do you grow predominantly? I'm in PA and my cousin (I'm no longer involved) has 4 grow tanks with hundreds of frags...
It's mixed. Too mixed IMO. Predominantly LPS. I love acans. A few easier SPS. Some nice monti caps, monti digis and danae. Zoas. I've got a green bubble tipped anemone that I've had for 4-1/2 years and a rose BTA too. Occasionally they split and I sell the splits. Both hosted by a breeding Maroon clown pair. They lay eggs on the back glass about once a week. I use T-5s. Let's just say if I hadn't gotten back into coins, I would have..... expanded a bit. lol No, I'd actually like to just do a small but more advanced SPS/LPS/zoa only cube with no fish and single 250 MH, and call it a recession tank. For now. My favorite fish are the regal angel and the potter's angel. I've never kept either but would love to some day. I have a 3 year old coral beauty angel at the moment. I'm in northern IL.
Bob brought the coral by, and I took some pictures. I don't know what the holes in it are. They look like they were drilled. Here are links to the original images if you want a high resolution. http://www5.vetmed.auburn.edu/~branch/images/BobsCoin/IMG_0626.jpg http://www5.vetmed.auburn.edu/~branch/images/BobsCoin/IMG_0624.jpg He thinks it probably came from Vieques Puerto Rico. Charles
Thanks for posting the pics. I'm not familiar with anything that looks like that. I don't know what that would have been. There isn't much form to it. It wasn't what I was expecting. The long lines going through it are strange. It certainly looks like some type of calcifying, encrusting, plating, ....something.. with all those layers. It may have been from Peurto Rico as you say. Maybe why it looks so unfamiliar. I don't think much is imported from there for the aquarium hobby. If anything.
