Did a little ghost towning today. I started the day out with a nice merc, and Nancy still managed to hand me my rear end in a take out bag!!

[DC/Id]

I have not been out detecting for months. We have been to darn busy and the temps have been brutal. Enough whining, Anika, Nancy and I did it today.

I found some old maps and we went to locate the site of a mining town that had been moved from it's 1860's location. I think we found it.

We found a lot of cool stuff. What I want to post are these coins.

My merc was found under a tree where a lot of elk hunters have pitched their tents for over a hundred years. I have slept in this spot as well. I found it on the first hit of the day as we checked this spot out before we went on to find the lost town site. I have to think it was dropped when almost new. It is 64 years old and very new looking.
[attachment 31534 chinesecoinandmerc.jpg]
Nancy found the Chinese coin at the site of the old town. We have researched it and found out what it is.

The coin was minted in Peking during the Ch'ing dynasty, under the reign of emperor Sheng Tsu. It is a Kang Hsi Tung Pao. (Do you want the fried rice with that?) This coin was made from 1661 to 1722! Now that is old.

So here is the deal. If this coin could talk, what a tale it could tell. Imagine it knocking around China for 200 years, and then taking a sailing ship ride to Seattle or San Francisco in the pocket of a Chinese worker bound for the gold fields of Idaho, around 1860. Then bouncing along on a horse or wagon for several weeks (or months) until arriving in Idaho. Then it some how ends up in the ground for 150 years or so until Nancy picks it out of the junk and brings it to our forum. The history is just amazing to me. It looks in mighty good shape for its 300 or so years.

We plan a trip back to this place asap. We found enough other things to be pretty sure that we have found the old town site. I hope there are some other historical finds waiting for Nancy, and maybe even me.

HH DC

 

[Lawrence in Alabama]

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[James in Alabama]

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[Brian(upstateNY)]

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[Chris in Hamilton (Canada)]

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[Craig in Alabama]

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[MK_(MO)]

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[Ed SW Fla]

.... I was once told that back in the mid to late 1800's to early 1900's millions of Chinese cash coins were discovered in Chinese storage and were no longer used in trade. The Chinese sold them as scrap and some enterprising person used them as decorations woven into baskets which were imported to the USA and other countries. For awhile they were considered quite attractive and exotic thus became quite popular.

As the baskets grew worn with age the coins would fall off and / or the basket would be given to children to play with ... and more coins would fall off. Other coins would be saved from the baskets and kept as a curio or as a good luck piece.

My friend found one in the back yard of private property we were detecting within the Gettysburg Battlefield National Park. They typically are found in areas where folks were living within the 1800's and beyond.

Neat find DC.

 

[floydandtina]

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[Vernon in Virginia~Formerly Alaska]

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[Elson(La)]

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[Ed SW Fla]

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[General Ray]

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[DC/Id]

I have found coins like that on school yards and home sites like you said.I did not bother ever posting them as they had no history to them. This coin is different. I know that it is an artifact left by a miner from the mid-late 1800's. The area where this one was found is a remote gold mining district that had a large Chinese population in 1860-1880. There was nothing in the area except miners and the other retail types (Stores, saloons. houses of ill repute). The town site where it was found was ravaged by fire in 1871, and the town was moved to another location about 2 miles downstream where the placers had played out. The original town site had good placers extending under the town and with it gone, parts of the town were then dredged out of existence. The town I am talking about was, at the time of the fire, populated with around 2300 citizens.The area where we hunted is on a hill where the upper part of the town sat, and was not dredged.

It is not unusual to find Chinese coins in the many mining camps of Idaho. There were many Chinese involved in the heyday of gold mining. Most often the Chinese were given the least producing and most backbreaking types of jobs. Boise had a very large Chinese population in those days, who were farmers supplying vegetables and fruit to the mining camps. One of the towns that is now a part of Boise was, and still is named "Garden City". It was this area that had so many Chinese farms.

With the placers playing out in this area, and the use of very large dredging equipment, most of the Chinese moved out of Idaho to follow other gold camps, or settled in cities like Frisco, where there was a large Chinese community.

I was not being ignorant or deceptive in my post, I would not have tried to pass off this coin as a genuine artifact if there was the slightest chance it was anything other than what I presented. I do know this area and the history of our state very well. I would never stretch the truth in order to make a post either.

Hope this clears that up DC

 

[charlie (ky)]

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[Ed SW Fla]

... of your post or the facts presented in it. I was not suggesting your Chinese coin was not used or dropped by a Chinese worker or miner or whoever. I think it's a neat find and obviously does have history to it based on where it was found.

My intent with what I posted was to share with our forum friends what I had been told, ... I think by Mark Parker of W&E Treasures magazine ... as to why so many old Chinese coins are found across the USA. I was not tyring to denigrate you nor your post and frankly don't understand how you apparently perceived that I did.

Many Chinese cash coins that have been found have history to them too ... and others began their USA history on a basket. Regardless of the circumstances of how a Chinese cash coin became lost and eventually the target of a detectorist, does not depreciate it's value to anyone as an uncommon / unusual find ... a fun find ... and one anyone should be proud to display.

DC, you know I'm not shy and if I thought you or any one else had posted some untruthful BS, I'd post about it or PM about it to the author just as most others on this forum would. I apologise to you for any misunderstanding created from my post.

 

[DC/Id]

I was just clearing up why I thought it was a cool find and not just another crappy coin. It is like in real estate, location is every thing.

I came across a little to strong, now that I read what I wrote. I had a worse than usual day yesterday, and was a little cranky. It must have been PMS (Plumbing Mucho Sucks). Some days it is better to punch out a stranger than to pick on a friend. I will try to do better.

I guess there is still some truth to the accusation of some around here in my home town that I am a crazy deranged pschyco-mutha.

Now let's all join hands and sing "Feelings" DC

 

[DC/Id]

The first opens his box and out comes the fly. The student pulls his Katana and in one motion, the fly drops to the floor, cut cleanly in half. "Excellent" says the master.

The second student opens his box and out comes two flies. The student cuts them both down in on stroke. "Nicely done" says the master

The third student opens his box and out come one fly. The student pulls his katana and takes two quick slashes. The fly buzzes off and out a window. "You have failed" the master says with a frown, "Your fly lives" "Aahh yes he lives" the student says with a sly smile "But he will now longer reproduce!"

Kotsuke!! Rei!! DC

 

[therick]

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[Butch in Colorado]

...nothing more than feelings,
trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
trying to forget my feelings of love.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I'd never met you, girl; you'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.

Feelings, feelings like I'd never lost you
and feelings like I'd never have you again in my heart.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I'd never met you, girl; you'll never come again.

Feelings, feelings like I've never lost you
and feelings like I'd never have you again in my life.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
wo-o-o, feelings again in my arms.
Feelings...(repeat & fade)

And If I knew how to embed the song in this dang post I would have.