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My oldest US Coin found over the weekend 1801 Draped Bust LC

North Shore

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2016
Messages
281
Location
Massachusetts
I've been trying to find everything there is to find at this cellar hole out in the woods on public land, it's been fun. The heat broke on Saturday so I was back at it, only find for the day today was this 1801 draped bust LC. It has a very distinct square nail hole in it. Some have suggested it might have been nailed to the beam above the entry way to the home for good luck.

I did not find the nail in situ, just a nice example of a period correct nail I have. does fit pretty well.

I really want to get back to this spot, and hopefully find other cellars nearby. I have to assume there are other holes, what is the best strategy to try and find them? Wander around following stone walls?
 

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Wow. Even with the hole the date is clear.
Congrats.

When searching watch (Iron masking OFF) for bits of iron and nails. These typically indicate a structure was there.
 
Stone walls are always a good sign, but I use a mixture of historic aerials and historic map works. There's guys that use lidar, but I'm not exactly sure how to use it myself. Cellar holes are tough for sure, they just didnt have much to lose back then. Not to mention, they filled many cellar holes in this area with dirty fill. Check out the historic aerials of your site, most spots in mass have imagery that goes back to 1938. If the sites I'm hunting predate 1938, I use historic map works. They have maps that go back to 1870. Excellent find, and keep us posted on your excursions!
 
Stone walls are always a good sign, but I use a mixture of historic aerials and historic map works. There's guys that use lidar, but I'm not exactly sure how to use it myself. Cellar holes are tough for sure, they just didnt have much to lose back then. Not to mention, they filled many cellar holes in this area with dirty fill. Check out the historic aerials of your site, most spots in mass have imagery that goes back to 1938. If the sites I'm hunting predate 1938, I use historic map works. They have maps that go back to 1870. Excellent find, and keep us posted on your excursions!

Damn, you've been killing it dude. those numbers are crazy in your signature.
 
I've found 3 coins and a pile of relics at this home site. I would think it was previously undetected. I think I've done pretty good considering the house isn't referenced in a 1930s written report of the area documenting signs of colonial homes, it also doesn't appear on an 1846 map. I think the home was only there for under 50 years. This wasn't a very built up part of town from what I read.
 

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Congrats on finding the Large Cent. I've found only one Two Cent Piece and it was also holed with a square nail. My coin was holed at the 12 o'clock position so I'm assuming it was worn around the neck but there's no way to prove or disprove that. Those other Large cents you dug are really nice looking.
 
Must be nice having sites that old to hunt! Here where I live, the oldest place I've MD'ed was 1944! Some great finds you have there!
 
North-Shore: The 2nd pix in your post #6 of this thread is sick. Those buttons just SCREAM history and fun. Heck, here in CA we have to hunt the needle-in-hay-stack earliest hair-raising sites to find buttons that old. But where you are, it's ho-hum routine cellar holes . Sick.
 
North-Shore: The 2nd pix in your post #6 of this thread is sick. Those buttons just SCREAM history and fun. Heck, here in CA we have to hunt the needle-in-hay-stack earliest hair-raising sites to find buttons that old. But where you are, it's ho-hum routine cellar holes . Sick.

I've had a good time with it Tom, I don't take it for granted. I haven't been out pounding the pavement for permissions so researching and finding a public untouched site like this was really something for me. I'll keep going til theres no sounds left.
 
I've had a good time with it Tom, I don't take it for granted. I haven't been out pounding the pavement for permissions so researching and finding a public untouched site like this was really something for me. I'll keep going til theres no sounds left.

I also find an untouched farm site near me.
Been hitting it for the past three years. Now getting to where very few non-ferrous targets show up.
Got 40 coins dated from 1723 to 1944 and lots of buttons and other neat stuff including two War of 1812 items.

Yea, keep hitting it and maybe dig some of the iron signals. Some of the old iron are great relics.
 
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I also find an untouched farm site near me.
Been hitting it for the past three years. Now getting to where very few non-ferrous targets show up.
Got 40 coins dated from 1723 to 1944 and lots of buttons and other neat stuff including two War of 1912 items.

Yea, keep hitting it and maybe dig some of the iron signals. Some of the old iron are great relics.

very cool, 40 coins is a haul. I am dreaming of finding another site like this, its been some of the most fun I've had in the hobby.
 
Definitely use lidar hillshade maps. Cellar holes are little black squares in the middle of the stone walls. Ill see if I can dig up user friendly Mass. lidar maps. The Connecticut online GIS lidar maps are really useful for a woods project I did during the shutdown.
 
Definitely use lidar hillshade maps. Cellar holes are little black squares in the middle of the stone walls. Ill see if I can dig up user friendly Mass. lidar maps. The Connecticut online GIS lidar maps are really useful for a woods project I did during the shutdown.

Curious to learn more about this
 
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