Featured Backyard archaeology - coin hoard

When we moved into the 1850 family homestead in 1990, there were generations of family stuff (still is!) in the attic. We found several bottle dumps out back. One of my brothers-in-law was a bit of a waster and lived here with his mother most of his life. He was always collecting anything he could sell for drinking money. There was a wooden crate full of old metal junk sitting by the corner of the house out back which I never bothered to look at and it slowly disintegrated. Yesterday, Jon and I decided to clean up the yard. As we started filling buckets with rusty metal bits, I started finding old coins in one corner. They are all dated 1818-1851 and nearly every one is damaged in some way. Most have random holes. I cleaned a couple to see details. I figure nothing I do is going to reduce the value any more than they are already. A clue to the source popped up when I found a 1974 penny underneath most of the hoard. Obviously, Tom left them in the crate. I just can't figure out if he damaged them or if he found them somewhere like that and why someone would do that. It was kind of exhilarating.

 

A new thing for me - explore the term "holed" coins.


https://www.facebook.com/GoneDiggin...lieve-that-they-were-altered/759303029339764/

 

Numismatics is a fascinating an' often exhilarating pursuit...an' once you fall under its spell, All Hope Abandon!
Very nice clutch of holed coinage, Bev...Good Luck!

 

Why they cut slots in some I have no idea. Drilled and holed coins are easier to keep track of. Some of them look like they went on watch chains or similar like lucky pennies.

 

looks like someone was practicing with a jewelry saw.....
those are pretty good cuts on the dime....

 

What a cool find! The deliberate damage makes it much more interesting than a handful perfect undamaged coins.

 

Wow. I never knew there was such a thing as a holed coin on purpose. I'm headed out to the back yard to dig for more! Someone said white vinegar will clean them without harm. Is that true? They're pretty crusted with dirt.

 

Fascinating ! If we ever move to the UK/Europe-we'll soon have a metal detector.

 

I'll let the coin guys handle this one, but holed coins used to be common.

 

Hadn't heard of that, Davey...Thanks!

 

Looks like a penny t'me, Komo.

 

I'm on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. These are American pennies. Old copper one cent coins from the early 1800s.

 

Dug up a dozen more today before my back gave out.

 

yup , my screen color is off......... & so am I !

 

a penny for your thoughts !!!!!

 

Does cleaning them make them sell valuable? I ask because we went to a coin show & I was told never to clean old coins, or handle them with anything but gloves ? They said the same for stamps. So it is ok to clean them now?

 

you can clean off dirt and grime....... never polish them...