# 1830 large US cent!



## tazmainiendigger (Jul 10, 2004)

Hi group, you wont believe this but I just went out to check the garden and there on the ground was a somewhat green looking coin.... I picked it up brushed it of and O my gosh it is a 1830 US large cent piece![] I dug out the old cellar in this 1840 farm house last fall and threw the dirt down the bank.... I expected to find maybe a old pontiled bottle but not!!! Just shards.... and marbles lots of marbles!  This was on the top of hill and I hauled at least a wheelers worth of dirt from that hole! What luck... Happy diggn! Taz


----------



## tazmainiendigger (Jul 10, 2004)

back of the coin..


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles (Jul 10, 2004)

Hey Taz - 

 Great find and what luck!  Maine had only been a state for ten years when that coin was minted!  Keep on digging - Sam


----------



## tazmainiendigger (Jul 11, 2004)

Thanks for the info Sam. I dont know much about Maine but it sure is being good to me! I will make a stand for that coin and display it with that early pontiled Johnson liniment  and the 150 ct. facet grade rose quartz I found this spring. The rose quartz should be back from the cutters soon, I had it cut in the shape of a heart... Taz


----------



## Flaschenjager (Jul 11, 2004)

Hello Taz and everyone ---
 Taz, earlier this year, I also found a large cent with that exact date, 1830[]. I found mine with my detector, which I rarely use. I was only hunting for about ten minutes when the machine went crazy. I was pretty happy to pluck this from the field. I was searching for CW field privies on my friends plantation and discovered one near the coin and it was a shallow one. 

_Question: _ How do you or how did you clean this coin, removing the green and how do you keep it off? I have talked to a few people and everyone has a different way. Any tips would help. I know water is a no no with copper. I would like it to be a little more displayable (if that is a word). The clearest part of the coin is the date, but "liberty" also stands out. There should be more exciting finds at this site in the fall/winter when the soy beans are down. I can hardly wait!

 Although these are not worth very much, I'd say, very nice find. Coins are always fun to find and especially the older ones...my opinion.


----------



## tazmainiendigger (Jul 11, 2004)

Hi Meech and all, I showed the coin to a dealer today he said I might  be worth about 9 bucks, not that I care about sellling it... attic mint they go for about $150 or at least that is what he put them out for.... He said not to clean it other then maybe a toothbrush with NO abrasive... I asked him what if I just carry it in my pocket as that would like a slow polish he said that would be fine. I put mineral oil on mine and it's in my pocket now! lol probally going to take a year, I hope I dont lose it.... O ya ammonia will take the green out but I didnt ask him about that.... Taz


----------



## Gunsmoke47 (Jul 11, 2004)

Hey Meech and Taz, put your copper coin in a Dixie cup and submerge it in olive oil. Go off and forget it cuz it will take a *long* time. Though slow, it will usually take the tarnish off without disturbing the integrity of the coin. [] Kelley


----------



## Maine Digger (Jul 12, 2004)

Good Idea Kelley[]. As I reported some time ago, I found a mint, in terms of the sharpness of the engraving, 1862 Indian Head Penny behind a baseboard in my house. But it looked a little dirty so I dipped it in copper cleaner OUCH[] A dealer told me I had knocked off 1/3 - 1/2 of the value by doing that because it altered the color. [] Never, never, never clean any antique anything (except bottles) without consulting with an expert first! Remember the lady on the Antique Road Show? She had a furniture piece that she had 'professionally restored/cleaned, it was worth something like $80 - $100,000 in the 'clean' state, but would have been worth $500,000+ if she left it alone!


----------



## Pontiled (Jul 12, 2004)

Please listen to this. I was a coin dealer, dealing in the scarcer pieces. Copper items that have been dug are NEVER to be cleaned!!! They have value as a relic ONLY. Often, the surface has a coating of contaminants on them that, when "cleaned," will leave a field that is very rough and irregular and often that clear date will virtually disappear.

 DON'T CLEAN A COPPER COIN. IT WILL SHOW!

 As a former metal detector user / former treasure hunter (in the truest sense), I have seen many, many copper coins that were cleaned, mainly half cents and large pennies (U.S.). Their value was ruined by cleaning.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles (Jul 12, 2004)

Hi Mike - 

 I just picked up a copy of 'Antique Bottle and Glass Collector' from March 1995 and read your great article on Civil War era encased postage devices - talk about a rare item!  Maybe you could tell the folks a little about them - I'm sure there would be some interest.

 - Sam


----------



## Pontiled (Jul 12, 2004)

Thanks Sam, I appreciate the comments! Encased postage is scarce and they even have counterfeits of them, due to the high values. I had a ball writing about them.

 I have so many things that I could write about, but the last time I had requested some comments on some stories, there were only a few that showed interest. With all the experiences I've had (seriously), I could write a book about bottle digging, U.S. and Colonial period coins, treasure hunting, etc., I wouldn't know where to begin, but it would be something I'd enjoy, if others were interested in the stories.


----------



## Flaschenjager (Jul 14, 2004)

*Kelley* - I put it in a double (2) Dixie cup with the Extra Virgin (olive oil of course). The cups, even doubled, will leak and they have all over the kitchen sink, but no big deal. I suggest a plastic and lidded, because of kids and animals, small container. 

*Mike* - I'd be interested in _any and all stories _ you wish to tell. I guess I'll yank the coin from the oil, but I'm only trying to view it better. Myself, I'll never sell this coin. 

 Thanks for the help everyone!


----------



## leebran20 (Jul 14, 2004)

Mike: as one who devours my old club newsletters over and over, still enjoying the stories on the umpteenth time, I, too, would sure enjoy hearing any and all of the stories from your vast experience. Just wanted to chip in my two-cent piece, since I didn't want to just hope you continue telling a story now and then, like you began doing with the Ghost and Paranormal thread.


----------



## tazmainiendigger (Jul 14, 2004)

Thanks for the good sound advice Mike! The coin is out of my pocket now! It doen't have to be pristine for me to enjoy it!  Just a great memory.... Happy digg'n! Taz


----------



## Pontiled (Jul 14, 2004)

Okay, now I get the hint! Seriously, I'll begin telling real stories on the "Chat" thread as soon as we get some work done here. However, let me make you a deal. I'll post stories, but don't let your own stories go "bye bye." We need them!!!


----------



## luvtodig (Jul 15, 2004)

thanks Mike, I am glad that others were able to talk you into telling more stories[]  as I said before, I would love to read them..


----------

