I went coin and relic hunting today at an early pioneer town in Middle TN along the Cumberland River. I found an 1833 Capped Bust Half Dime there a few months ago, and wanted to see if I had missed anything. I'm glad I went!!! Today I found a 1797 Draped Bust Half DIME with 15 stars It is the oldest, rarest (only 44,527 minted), and most valuable coin that I have ever found. One of the guys that went with me found a 1782 Spanish 1 Reale. Here is a pic.
WOW! Super cool! Where exactly did you find it? EDIT: Okay, I think I understand a little better now. You dug the coin up?
what type of metal detector do you use?? and how deep was the coin buried? I was thinking of getting into that hobby
I use a White's Eagle Spectrum detector. It's an older detector, but still a good one. The coin was only about 3 inches down.
Yeah, I dug it out of the ground. Of course I wish it were in a little better shape, but I think it looks GREAT for being buried for about 200 years!!! In the past 3 yrs I have found several different types of coins; Large Cents, Draped Bust Half Dime, Capped Bust Half Dime, Seated Half Dime, 3-Cent Nickel, Liberty V Nickel, Barber Dime, Seated Quarter, Standing Liberty Quarter, Seated Half, Walking Liberty Half, Peace Dollar, and lots of Indian Head Pennies, wheaties, and modern silver coins.
Pretty cool! I wish I could go digging but I doubt it would do any good...all we got in San Antonio is ROCK!
also in Tenn,just outside memphis...I have a White's Quantum 2 and love it. My problem is finding places to hunt because most good spots are privately owner and posted ..any tips on how to get on these properties without going to jail.
All I can say is to knock on some doors and ask. The worst that could happen is that they say no. Also you might want to try hunting construction sites in Memphis. I find lots of good stuff at house sites that have been recently demolished. When they clear all the debris, they also take a couple inches of top soil. This gets rid of a lot of the modern trash that was there.
Man ole man ,,,,, I want to get a metal detector, you guys are always digging up neat treasure. nice find ,thanks for sharing.:thumb:
That is an incredible find! In 20 years of detecting, I have only ever made a handful finds that can compare to a 1797 Half Dime. Sure it is not in great condition, but it is still all there. Just DO NOT Clean it further. Congratulations! I know what the feeling is like................
I'd have to say that you have the best find I've seen since I started to post here. BIG CONGRATS MAN!! I too have pondered the thought of getting into the digging aspects. Now is not the time for me to try though...I live in MA and the ground is still frozen solid in places. lol I live in a small city named Leominster (first settled in 1653 and officially incorporated into a town in 1740)...I'm a big history lover and there is a cemetery around the corner of my house that has been used since the early 1800's. I'm now starting to drool thinking of going out there and searching! Hmmm, good way to kill a nice warm summer day.