Early Western Site finds Early Russian coin and need ID help

I'll let TomCA chime in and post his own finds if he wants, but lest just say he found something big, round and yellow

I found some interesting finds myself, including an early California fur trading era Russian 2 Kopeck copper coin (about the size of a U.S. large cent) minted between 1810-1830! Also found a plain jane flat button and a decorative concave one piece button that still has gold gilt on the front and back.

Is the item on the bottom left a gun part?

There's quite a few more bits and bobs, but mainly more of the same, bits of scrap copper, and other misc conductors.

Nice variety of finds Cal!
My very first old coin was a 1843 Russian 3 Kopeck. Huge copper coin (silver dollar size) and in perfect shape because it was under a 40 lb flat rock next to a dry stacked field stone wall.

Very nice Brain,

Have a world coin book at another home planning to move into I’ll try to locate it tomorrow. It’s definitely in there, will get back with you.

Congratulations with the finds,
Paul

Apolonio (CA) Wrote:
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> Very nice Brain,
>
> Have a world coin book at another home planning to
> move into I’ll try to locate it tomorrow. It’s de
> finitely in there, will get back with you.
>
> Congratulations with the finds,
> Paul

Hey there Paul, good to see and hear from you bro ! Brian's already got it ID'd. The type/denomination was not hard to deduce . But it's just that the date is obscured (through wear or ground-kiss). But the date range when that particular coin was minted (ie.: the reign or that czar or whatever) was: 1810 to 1830. Which, for our purposes, was just fine. It joins the ranks of our other period coins and history from this site.

Ok, my finds from the site to follow shortly (put your sunglasses on ! )

Got my 16th career gold coin on this trip : An 1881 P $10 gold





Other than that, my pile of period targets was similar to Brians. Eg.: green blacksmithed copper slag, a few buttons, lead globs, toe tap, pistol balls, hinge, etc..... The only other coins I got was a wheatie and a memorial .

In the past, this site has given up a Spanish reale, an 1829 Bust dime, an 1853 quarter, an 1849 silver french coin, an 1807 (?), British copper , chinese cash coin, and now this Russian coin. Sheesk, the place is like the "United Nations", eh ? haha

STUNNING Tom!!! Congrat's!!!!

And BOTH those coins ID as: Zinc Penny.

Nasa-Tom, coming from a respected industry/hobby voice, thanx for chiming in !

And if anyone can venture a guess as to Brian's hook thing (closeup is in his 3rd pix), we're curious. I thought it was simply a door-latch. But he thinks is possibly a rotating safety latch or something to do with a gun. We know from the patina that it's in with the date range of very early copper that comes out of this site (1810s to 1840-ish).

Great find! How do those gold coins come out so mint. It looks like it just came out of the bank and was lost. That would hurt back in those days to loose $10.00.

Rick, N. MI Wrote:
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> Great find! How do those gold coins come out so mi
> nt. It looks like it just came out of the bank and
> was lost. That would hurt back in those days to lo
> ose $10.00.

Not meaning to hijack Brian's post but : Gold coins will come out like gold rings: As shiny as the day they were lost. Unlike silver and copper which can be "ground-kissed", gold retains its luster no matter what. You just brush off the dirt, and .... it's like the day it was lost. Hence I guess one of the reasons for mankind's allure with gold ?

And yes: In 1881, I'll bet a blue-collar logger or factory worker pay for the week , was something on the order of $5 to $10 ? Thus yes, this would be like one us today loosing $800 to $1k-ish, eh ?

Beautiful coin in beautiful shape....very nice!

Cal_cobra Wrote:
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> Is the item on the bottom left a
> gun part?
>

Don't think so.
That's an extremely common shape for a latch from that period.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2020 04:44AM by Mike in CO.

ozzie Wrote:
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> Nice variety of finds Cal!
> My very first old coin was a 1843 Russian 3 Kopeck
> . Huge copper coin (silver dollar size) and in per
> fect shape because it was under a 40 lb flat rock
> next to a dry stacked field stone wall.

This one is pretty large as well, about the size of a half dollar, I wish it was in a little better condition, would love to get a date on it, but it was only minted from 1810-1830, so it's a Russian fur trade era coin, which is a rare find out here .

Apolonio (CA) Wrote:
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> Very nice Brain,
>
> Have a world coin book at another home planning to move into I’ll try to locate it tomorrow. It’s definitely in there, will get back with you.
>
> Congratulations with the finds,
> Paul

Hi Paul,

Thanks and as Tom mentions, no need to dig up your world coin book as I found it online

Good luck with your move,
Brian

Mike in CO Wrote:
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> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is the item on the bottom left
> a
> > gun part?
> >
>
> Don't think so.
> That's an extremely common shape for a latch from that period.

Really? Tom said he thought it was a door latch, but didn't really make sense for where we found it. Any idea what kind of latch? Perhaps for a box, chest, or ? It's old, nothing from the particular location that came from has dated any older then about 1850. The finds in my picture are from three different locations, all a stones throw apart, but all somewhat different in the flavor/age of finds.

Thanks for taking a look.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
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>.... Tom said he thought it was a door latch,
> but didn't really make sense for where we found it
> . ....

Why wouldn't that make sense ? We've found period door-hinges, for instance , at this site. So a hook-latch wouldn't be unusual, eh ?

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
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> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >.... Tom said he thought it was a door latch,
> > but didn't really make sense for where we found
> it
> > . ....
>
> Why wouldn't that make sense ? We've found period door-hinges, for instance , at this site. So a hook-latch wouldn't be unusual, eh ?

Tom, I seem to remember the hinge type items coming from the larger site, but you could be right. Didn't you find what you thought was a door knob last time, but it looks smaller like maybe a drawer pull knob? Definitely an interesting spot.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
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>
> --
....from the larger site,....

Oh, did the latch come from the "smaller" side of the site ? I thought it came from the "larger" part of the site .

But in any event : We've found door house/hardware (hinges, knobs, etc....) from both sides. Yes the knob thing, on this recent trip, came from the "smaller" side.

Congratulations on the 'goldie!' Lovely!

The 'latch', is from a wooden chest, lock box, money/travel chest. I've found one before. It may have been 'one of two' latches on L & R sides or, part of a 'double attachment' swivel action possibly from the right side only?

Hope this helps?

Great finds Brian and Tom. Tom does have a nose for gold. WTG guys.

El

Keith Southern would know what that hook thing is......especially if it is a old gun part. Where dat boy at?

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
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> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > --
> ....from the larger site,....
>
> Oh, did the latch come from the "smaller" side of
> the site ? I thought it came from the "larger" pa
> rt of the site .
>
> But in any event : We've found door house/hardwar
> e (hinges, knobs, etc....) from both sides. Yes
> the knob thing, on this recent trip, came from the
> "smaller" side.

Yeah it came from the smaller site. Given our research and whatnot, I never envisioned there being any actual structures there, but given some of the items we've found, perhaps there was something small there?

Des D Wrote:
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> Congratulations on the 'goldie!' Lovely!
>
> The 'latch', is from a wooden chest, lock box, mon
> ey/travel chest. I've found one before. It may hav
> e been 'one of two' latches on L & R sides or, par
> t of a 'double attachment' swivel action possibly
> from the right side only?
>
> Hope this helps?

Now that would make a lot of sense. It doesn't seem quite right for a door latch, which are typically round in nature, versus flat like this.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
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...
>
> Yeah it came from the smaller site. ....

Oh yeah, now I remember. Well ... whatever it is .... it just DRIPS with history having-come from that side. Because as you know, there is literally NOTHING newer than the mid 1850s there. Not foil, not tabs, not clad, etc..

Yes, I envision tent- or brush-arbor type living conditions over there. Not wooden structures . But who knows ? And yes, some hinges have come from that side. But of course hinges don't necessarily mean wooden structure. Chests have hinges as well after all.

While I know it's a rather benign item, yet for our interest and research of the site, it's fun to speculate on the lay-of-the-land and history there.

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> ...
> >
> > Yeah it came from the smaller site. ....
>
> Oh yeah, now I remember. Well ... whatever it is it just DRIPS with history having-come from that side. Because as you know, there is literally NOTHING newer than the mid 1850s there. Not foil, not tabs, not clad, etc..
>
> Yes, I envision tent- or brush-arbor type living conditions over there. Not wooden structures .
> But who knows ? And yes, some hinges have come from that side. But of course hinges don't necessarily mean wooden structure. Chests have hinges as well after all.
>
> While I know it's a rather benign item, yet for our interest and research of the site, it's fun to speculate on the lay-of-the-land and history there.

Exactly, it stirs the imagination as to what may have been going on there. We have some ideas, but to be honest, I think you and I were taken aback with all the gold rush era buckles and other finds from that era and before. I don't think we were expecting that at all, and there's just something about that particular site that keeps my interest. Yes it's (now) work to get anything, but I think we've proven there's still finds to be made there if we put in the effort, and their all going to be 1850's or older

It's a shame the overall site is so seasonal, it's as good as anything we have.

A latch of some sort makes sense to me too for that hooked piece. It's not precisioned/machined exact enough to be a "gun part" imo. Looks too crude for that.

Nice finds though guys!