Pine Tree Shilling Find - Oh No Another Aspect of Collecting For Me

[rbrown4]

I work for a well known Waste Management Company that has numerous landfills throughout the country. I am located in Virginia and work with and have access to our facilities in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. I was at one of our facilities today in Glouchester County Virginia and was shown a partial piece of a silver coin that an operator found just by chance this week. I did not have a camera with me so I wrote down what I could read off the coin - S A T H V. Well after retrurning home I now know that what he found was part of a Pine Tree Shilling Large Planchet. I have never been involved in metal detecting but as of today you can bet that I will be. I have access to hundreds and hundreds of acres of land in this three state area and realize that this aspect of coin collecting/hunting can be very exhausting, but because of what I saw today, I am excited and am going to dive into this aspect of the hobby just to see what I can perhaps find.

 

I was so amazed at what this individual had found that I wanted to share. Any tips or recommendations on how to approach this aspect of the hobby when dealing with a lot of property would be greatly appreciated. I do plan to research the history of the areas but I am sure there are some "rules of thumb" that exist as to where people would have lived/settled in those days, next to rivers, streams or whatever. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I will post a photo of this piece next week after I am able to photograph it.

 

Rey

[bsshog40]

Man that sounds like a blast there Rey! As for the property, if it's your companies property and they say it's ok, then go for it. Otherwise, of course you would have to check with property owners for permission. If you can get history info on the property, that would be an edge for you, but as you know, coins have been around a long time and if the property has been populated at any time, ie.. workers, farmers, etc... then they could be found anywhere. I would also suggest a nice metal detector as cheaper ones tend to lead you on ghost chases. I have a nice garrett1500 that I really like but I know there are others such as Whites that are nice too. I think mine retailed for $800. But I love it, I can pinpoint a coin where I usually wind up digging a tablespoon size hole and the depth that it indicates. I wish I could find more places to go because it is fun and I found that one of the most important factors with metal detecting is Patience. Let us know how this works out if you decide to persue this.

[TomB]

Keep in mind that there are likely more lost fakes, copies and replicas then there are the real deal.

[robec1347]

That is very cool Rey. I would think you live in one of the prime locations for finding old, rare coins like that. I would make a good detector a must have. Good luck!!

[Observer44]

You should check with Dooly that Brit lives to dig for treasures. By the way Where has he been. John

[James_OldeTowne]

Rey, I've had the pleasure and honor of owning several Mass. silvers over the years. Get images if you can! If it's a partial coin, it's likely a "witch's piece", which is a broken silver coin. The thought at that time was that it warded off evil spirits, specifically witches.

 

Very cool!

[supertooth]

Hey Rey----- AAN---American Auction Network---Has a metal detector for 347.77 that can be placed supposedly under 35 ft. of water. This company is located in St. Petersburg, Florida.

 

As usual, Tom B is correct. You may have found a counterfeit. Only time will tell about the piece. But, if you have found a "new" hobby that will provide many hours of enjoyment, go for it my friend. Take care. Bob [supertooth]

[Oldtrader3]

Great find Rey, even if it turns out to be fake.

[rbrown4]

I need to clarify that it was not me that found this, it was an employee/equipment operator at one of our landfills here in Virginia. It is located in Gloucester County Virginia which was a very active settlement and trade area during those days. I am in the process of gaining additional information but today I confirmed that during the development of this site the remains of an old plantation, pug mill and a cemetary were discovered. This brought in the local historical society. Our company actually relocated the graves (mostly slaves) to another part of our property and erected a monument documenting the sex, race and estimated age of each person as best as they could determine. In addition, we have several display cabinets in our offices there of various items that were uncovered during a formal archeological dig at the site of the plantation etc. I will be going back there this week to obtain some photos of this piece and will post on here. Apparently the local historical society has some jurisdiction over the entire area so before I attempt to any exploring myself I need to check with them and our company. It may even be that this piece that was found by one of our employees may automatically become the property of the Historical Society.

 

Rey

[MikeKing]

good luck

i hope it's real