Counterfeit, Error, or Bad Eyes???

[I a thr]

Well, I've had the Etrac now for a few weeks and despite the hot weather have gotten out a few times. I am LIKE the Etrac allot!!!!
I got out for a couple hours last evening and went to a couple yards to do a bit of detecting. The first yard should have some turn of the century coins but is just loaded with clad. I spent about 45 min there and dug a couple clad quarters and 2 clad dimes and 5 mem pennies. Nothing against the clad but I generally search older spots where clad is unlikely to be found. With only an hour of daylight left I decided to try a yard that I have been to on prob 5-6 other occasions and just wanted to see what I missed with the Etracs extra depth.
Hopefully someone can help on the barber dime as there is a problem with it. Does anyone notice what I'm referring to??
Let me know if you see what I'm talking about.
Bill

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

It kind of has some characteristics of a cast counterfeit, especially the pitting.

Could just be abuse. Did it right up where a silver dime should? Can you weigh it and compare to other silver coins?

Chris

 

[Jesse W. McComas]

Looks like a slug of silver from the minting process, Minr Error on that date. Great Find! HH...Jesse.

 

[I a thr]

Jesse, Maybe it isn't my eyes, as you seem to see it as I and my family all did. (1889??) Thanks for the reply!!
Bill

 

[I a thr]

Chris, Yep it rang up a 13-46 and was about 6" deep. I have found other barbers and seateds that show the same type of pitting from time to time. First time I hit this yard about 5 years ago I found a coin spill that contained 3 barber dimes and buffalo nickle, however none of them showed any pitting as I recall.
Thanks for response!
Bill

 

[Nick A]

Looks like a beat up 1899 dime to me, no mint error I can see.
Nice digs!

 

[I a thr]

Nick, If I were to guess that is probably true but to my yeys and everyone else it appears to be an 1889. I understand probably not possible. Thanks for your opinion.
Bill

 

[Nick A]

I got it. It looks that way because one of those little marks peppering the entire coin just hit the one 9. An interesting quirk. A nice find nonetheless.

 

[I a thr]

You are probably correct, however I took a wooden toothpick and carefully picked at it and it just made it look more like an 8. Thanks for helping to solve my mystery.
Bill

 

[coinnut]

I looked it up in Breen's book and it appears that it is just a worn 1899. The reason it looks like an 8, is the way that the 9 is designed. The bottom curl of the 9 swings back up and touches the top part of the 9. It also has a ball on the end of it. So, wear that 9 down, and it will flatten out and blend together and appear to be an 8. There is an 1899 over date listed, but I'm not sure if you have one. There was no picture given and it is considered rare. Usually, it is real hard to see an over date, and probably couldn't be seen when worn down. Hope this helps.

 

[I a thr]

Coinnut, Helps a bunch! Thanks for the very infomative info. Probably not an overdate but guess I'll just dream. Thanks again!!!
Bill

 

[Bowie]

Whatever the case, its a nice find and one that the heart pumpin,lol. I havent found a Barber with an18?? date yet.
Love to see the finds, would like to see more on the conditions of the site you are hunting,trash,ground etc and how you have your ETrac set up.
Congrats on the find,
John

 

[Lubelaczek]

I have never found barber (yet, I hope) but this is 100% 1899. Compare width of second digit to third, and third to forth. Second digit is definitely wider than third. That means it is not an

 

[I a thr]

Lubelaczek, Thanks for the reply and good info. I too noticed the similarities of the openings, but didn't see the width difference.
Bill

 

[digitrich]

That could easily be an eight over nine...... but because of the wear, it is so hard to tell. That's the reason mint error coins values really go up in value once they hit VF condition or better, without definite detail, it's just a maybe.

 

[digitrich]

Most my dimes are seated and barbers and that pitting is extremely common, in my collection. Except for the ones that are xf or better, but the lower grades do have pitts, especially when worn nearly flat. Heck, I have several that are just smooth discs and other than width and weight, I would have no idea what they were.

 

[I a thr]

John, the site where I found the barber was at one time and old house which was removed and a new house w/ basement was built there about 6 years ago. There has been a lot of dirt moved around in the building process so thing may be in disarray. However the first time I hunted this yard was about 5 year ago and I dug a coin spill that yielded 3 barber dime and a buffalo nickle in the same hole at about 5". I have searched the yard on several other occasions but only to find many square nails and a few wheaties. Oh did find a RR baggage check for Santa Fe RR. Anyway I have been basically using the Coin mode and have altered the threshold to about 15 which is slightly audible. The vulnerability I bumped to 29. Sensitivity I run as high as the site will allow. There was not an over abundance of trash, at least not like my park, WHEW it is nasty. I do have a SunRay 5" and a SunRay 8" but was using the stock coil at this location. Anyway audio was good in all directions on my finds. Average depth was 5-7". I run my volume at max with adjustments if necessary at my Gray Ghosts. I also have a set of KillerB's that I am using and do like both. When I first started using the Etrac wasn't sure what I was listening for as I tried to make some bad targets good, but have found that if it's a good target it is a good signal in all directions, if trash is not a factor for the site you are hunting. By all means I am still learning a lot of information but feel much more at ease than tree weeks ago.
Thanks for looking,
Bill

 

[I a thr]

digitrich, Thanks for your comments. That is exactly what I have found on the pitting also. Although have found that different types of soil has n effect on them also.
Thanks
Bill

 

[I a thr]

digitrich, It will just go into my collection and will probably always be a question to me.. Oh well when I'm gone all of my finds and things that are important to me will probably be put on the lowboy wagon at the estate auction and sell by the box for 50 cent/box. LOL...

 

[coinnut]

John, Anyway I have been basically using the Coin mode and have altered the threshold to about 15 which is slightly audible. The vulnerability I bumped to 29. Sensitivity I run as high as the site will allow.
Bill

I hope you altered the pattern to accept the numbers 1-40 and up. I think the coin pattern rejects these numbers. That is where silver dollars are located. Also a silver half dollars I just found, read 1-40. It should have read around 8-46, but slid up to 1-40 probably due to being angled in the ground. Also was with some burnt trash. I had used the coin program before and figured out that large silver targets were being rejected the hard way. My buddy, using a Whites Eagle Spectrum says, "hey I got a half dollar reading here". So I said, "let me see what my E Trac reads it as."... NOTHING!!! Not even a peep! Because the discriminator was working just fine It was a huge, silvered colonial shoe buckle. I then realized it was set to discriminate out that section. Hope this helps. Check it out on a dollar or even 4 or 5 silver quarters (pocket spill).