The story a coin could tell

It always amazes me as a treasure hunter where I find coins with my metal detector. The unusual locations and circumstances of how those coins got there have led me to believe that many of those coins have their own story to tell. Let some of these coins tell you their stories.

Hello! I am a very fine 1861 Indian penny made in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. I was dropped by a Union soldier from Fort Brooke in Tampa FL in 1862. Last night two men escaped from the fort. Word spread that the two Confederate fugitives were heading west through the Trail of Pines, now called Pinellas County. My owner and a small squad of 10 other riders caught up with them on a small knoll overlooking the Anclote River on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Their footsteps were easy to follow across the sandy ground and our horses had a great time catching up with them. I must admit that they, tired and tired of running, did a good job of making the 30-mile trip through this unstable area. My owner lost me while he was placing a hangman’s noose on a tall pine tree on the knoll. I saw them hanging lifeless on what is now called Hangman’s Hill in beautiful Tarpon Spring Florida. My owner didn’t know that I fell out of his pocket or he would have looked for me like a penny so it was close to being his wages as a soldier. I was soon covered in pine needles and buried in the earth until one hot summer day in 1988, one hundred and twenty-two years later, my new owner dug me up. Larry treats me very well and shows me all his friends who are collectors of his coins. I live in a good case with my story and he says I’m priceless. He believes in me and lets me tell you my story, or at least part of it. I have much more to share, but that’s another story.

Splish, splash, I was taking a shower! (A very, very long swim of almost two hundred years in the Atlantic Ocean) Let me introduce myself. I am a counterfeit Spanish eight-real coin from 1796. No, I am not a reproduction! I was made of pewter instead of silver before the year 1800 by a member of the Spanish navy who made a small number dated 1793 – 1796. Several coins like me have been found in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico by Treasure prospectors using metal detectors underwater. I, in fact, am more valuable to counterfeit collectors than the actual silver pieces made by the Spanish government during these four years. Why, because I’m so weird. My value is between $300 and $400. US dollars depending on my condition. My owner found me using a Fisher 1280 in the Gulf of Mexico in 1990 after a winter storm brought me close enough to the surface to be detected. I look good for my age and time on the water and will be offered for sale in the near future on the world wide web.

Have you heard someone say that it is older than dirt? I’m close to that age and I’m pretty sure I’m one of the oldest coins ever unearthed by a coin shooter in America. Minted in the year 69 d. C. in Jerusalem, a year before the Roman army attacked and destroyed the city, I am quite a treasure. My patina is perfect and I am in remarkable condition considering I was buried in a Greek schoolyard in Tarpon Springs FL for several years. My owner’s son took me to school to show me off and lost me. The school was demolished in 1964 and my new owner found me in 1978 and located me nine inches deep using a Fisher 555 VLF metal detector. I was kept in good company by a 1950 Jefferson D nickel which Larry says is a great find and a key to his nickel collection. I am much older and more handsome than that young man. In fact, an appraisal by an antique coin dealer says I’m worth at least $350.00 and Jefferson is only worth $6.00. He has over 2 million brothers and sisters and only a few hundred of my brothers and sisters survived the attack in 70 AD. C. I’m half a bronze shekel and Larry says he wouldn’t sell me for anything.

I am an 1882 San Francisco Mint Extra Fine Silver Dollar. Might as well be a Vam. Most people don’t even know what a Vam is. There is a guy who appreciates silver dollars that have special pedigrees. If he or his team feels that the currency is really different, they can declare Vam and receive a distinctive code. Vams are consistently worth more than other coins of the same mintage and year. I was found with a Fisher 1260 metal detector in Tarpon Springs FL in 1995. My owner was admiring my good looks one day as he was going through his silver dollar collection and noticed there were some very distinct differences in my body. I have duplication on both sides on the letters, stars, date and parts of my face as well. I was taken to a coin shop and a team of dealers said I’m good and my owner should introduce me for possible classification as a Vam as 1882 S’s like me are not known. I’m very valuable and Larry says I’ll be offered for sale on the world wide web soon.