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 Replies: 15 / Views: 2,781 |
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
Recently my interest for the early coppers was sparked by a conversation I had with an avid copper collector. His collection really impressed into me the beauty such coppers possess and the enjoyment that can be derived from collecting them. As a metal detectorist I have found many coppers over the years, but most have simply been too corroded to salvage. A few though have held up very well, like the 1802 and 1803 Draped bust large cents I recently posted. But in the case of the two accompanying this post the results are mixed. On the one hand, I was happy to lift details from what were deeply encrusted and verdigris layered early Draped Bust large cents, while at the same time making me cringe at the details that were lost due to the heavy corrosion they sustained. Residual verdigris remains on both coins. Still, I think they will fit in to what I hope will be a growing collection of early coppers. I believe the 1797 is a S-140, but I have yet to identify the variety of the 1798. That one is in relatively better shape, though the corrosion is heavy along the edges of the obverse. Comments are welcome.     |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3098 Posts |
If I may ask, where do you live that you have the opportunity to find such wonderful old pieces? I'm a detectorist living in SE Wisconsin and I can tell you there are no early US coins like these in my neck of the woods. It must be wonderful to find such an old coin, even with the corrosion issues. Paul Bulgerin
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
Corrosion is merciless on copper. Unfortunately the value of both these coins is dramatically reduced. They are terrific finds on a side note!
Researching the Sheldon variety on the 1798.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Valued Member
 United States
191 Posts |
Quote:If I may ask, where do you live that you have the opportunity to find such wonderful old pieces? I'm a detectorist living in SE Wisconsin and I can tell you there are no early US coins like these in my neck of the woods. It must be wonderful to find such an old coin, even with the corrosion issues. I live on the East Coast, in the New England area. There is much history in this part of the country. Metal detecting is very competitive in this area though, and just about every park and open field has been detected. Still, there is always a chance of making an exceptional find. I haven't been actively detecting the past few years due to family obligations, but I do try to get out for an hour or two on occasion. Quote:
Corrosion is merciless on copper. Unfortunately the value of both these coins is dramatically reduced. They are terrific finds on a side note!
Researching the Sheldon variety on the 1798. Very true. The reduction in value is an unfortunate reality. A comforting thought for me is that at least now they won't completely vanish while buried in the ground. I just wish they held better in that environment. Thanks for taking a look to see if the 1798 Sheldon variety can be identified! :) I need to make time to do the same. I have over a dozen other Draped Busts I am working on to restore some of the details. You never know when a very rare one pops up! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2362 Posts |
Quote:
Corrosion is merciless on copper. I agree but for some of us - there's no old copper that is ugly. These are beautiful  Member ANA and EAC "You got to lose to know how to win". Dream On by Aerosmith |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
573 Posts |
I don't care about the corrosion. Those two have such fantastic character!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6370 Posts |
The reverse of that 1797 is quite painful to look at, but the obverse is rather beautiful. Possibly a candidate to display in a frame of some sort among your other nice finds.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9792 Posts |
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I agree but for some of us - there's no old copper that is ugly. These are beautiful  Early Copper has caught my fancy, and now I'm in love!  "Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
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cipster > I agree but for some of us - there's no old copper that is ugly. These are beautiful Quote:
StJoeBlues > I don't care about the corrosion. Those two have such fantastic character! Quote:
westcoin > Early Copper has caught my fancy, and now I'm in love! And at least now they have a home rather than continue to deteriorate while in the ground.  Quote:
TypeCoin971793 > The reverse of that 1797 is quite painful to look at, but the obverse is rather beautiful. Possibly a candidate to display in a frame of some sort among your other nice finds. I like that idea! With the nice details the obverse has retained, it certainly would display well too. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
I agree the 1797 is easier to attribute. I believe the broken right arm of the T, disconnected from the upright, pins it down as S-140.
Edited by philadelphian
04/07/2014 2:07 pm
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
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philadelphian > I agree the 1797 is easier to attribute. I believe the broken right arm of the T, disconnected from the upright, pins it down as S-140. That's what I thought too. It's a good thing that part of the coin did not suffer the corrosion the reverse sustained. Thanks! |
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1849 Posts |
It must have been very exciting to find to find those two LCs.
I have found some old coins myself, including some roman, and it is interesting how much the condition can vary depending on the soil.
I tried twice to attribute the 1798 using the Breen book as a guide and my usual process of elimination, but no success. There are just too many varieties of 98's!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
What do you all think of S-173 for the 1798?
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1849 Posts |
S-173 comes close, I agree. The reverse specially so. However, the obverse does not quite match (see the spacing between I and B on obverse).
S-185 is another close match, but again not quite. What is missing is more detail on the date area to be able to appreciate the spacing of the digits.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1511 Posts |
Awesome detector finds! I think they both look great.. I'll leave the attributions to the experts, I just wanted to say unbelievably great finds (also the 1802 & 1803)! I'm also from New England, western mass to be exact and just started detecting a couple years ago.. Such a rich history in the area, I just love it. Within a half mile of my house there's a dozen or more houses from the 1700's-1800's (little plaques from the historical society on the fronts).. I honestly haven't gone out much at all, not too much extra time with the recent addition of our little ones, but there's a few spots I can't wait to hit up! I dream of finding some from the 1700's! It's amazing that some of the coins are still in such great shape.. I've only found 2 old coppers so far, no silver and a bunch of newer stuff, but nothing as old as the four you've shared! I've found a 1820 small date (actually on my first time detecting! It's going to be hard to top that experience, lol) and a 1846. The '46 is corroded quite badly but the 1820 was remarkably well preserved.. Here's the 1820 SD just to share another New England find (not trying to thread jack, this one had its own topic a while ago, lol) & sorry for the bad pics, they do it no justice but you'll get the general idea, lol   |
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
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GERMANICVS > It must have been very exciting to find to find those two LCs.
I have found some old coins myself, including some roman, and it is interesting how much the condition can vary depending on the soil.
I tried twice to attribute the 1798 using the Breen book as a guide and my usual process of elimination, but no success. There are just too many varieties of 98's! Very exciting indeed! The two above coins were part of a four Draped Bust large cent coin drop - 1797, 1797, 1798, and 1802. All four were in the same hole at some depth. Unfortunately, they all had a thick layer of verdigris on them. Of the four, the two on this post held up the best.  Quote:
philadelphian > What do you all think of S-173 for the 1798? Quote:
GERMANICVS > S-173 comes close, I agree. The reverse specially so. However, the obverse does not quite match (see the spacing between I and B on obverse).
S-185 is another close match, but again not quite. What is missing is more detail on the date area to be able to appreciate the spacing of the digits. Yes, those are very close! The closest I had come with was S-169. Still not 100% sure though. Quote:
NathanASE > It's amazing that some of the coins are still in such great shape. I've only found 2 old coppers so far, no silver and a bunch of newer stuff, but nothing as old as the four you've shared! I've found a 1820 small date (actually on my first time detecting! It's going to be hard to top that experience, lol) and a 1846. The '46 is corroded quite badly but the 1820 was remarkably well preserved..
Here's the 1820 SD just to share another New England find (not trying to thread jack, this one had its own topic a while ago, lol) & sorry for the bad pics, they do it no justice but you'll get the general idea, lol Sweet find! That one held up beautifully! The soil were it had been 'hiding' must had been on the sandy side and with very good drainage. By the way, I am also from the Western MA area. My best one day copper day was 20, back in 2010. I'll never forget that day! I hope no one minds what we have shared here from our finds. We detectorists do get quite excited about what we find.   |
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Replies: 15 / Views: 2,781 |
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Posted 04/06/2014 11:54 am
