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Thread: Interesting 1550 Alphabet Coin I Found

  1. #1

    Interesting 1550 Alphabet Coin I Found

    Hello friends,
    I was able to get out this last Sunday to that castle ruins about 15 miles from my home. The castle was built in the late 12th century with the first recorded reference being in 1237. I spent about 3 hours hiking around looking for good spots to detect and settled on a flat area. Right away I began finding bits of medieval iron bits and nails (I'm still cleaning all that stuff up). Here is a coin I found. It is a "Nuremberg Rechenmeister" counting coin used by the money counters. "Rechenmeister" translates to arithmetic master. The front depicts a money counter at his table and the back depicts the alphabet that was current in 1550. The coin is copper and is in pretty good shape for being in the ground almost 471 years! The front is toasted but the back is in pretty good nick. Some things to notice about the alphabet of 1550: Backwards D, no J, no V (the one you see is U), and no W. After doing some research I believe the coin depicts Johann Neudörffer the Elder. I can't find anything to back that up but check out his story in Wikipedia!

    Here is some pics and thanks for looking!
    Attached Images Attached Images     
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  2. #2
    Hope you won't be too bored when or IF you ever get State side LOL.

  3. #3
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    cool place and cool coin , many cultures used the letter "I" for both the "J and I" until the mid 1700's , also on many of my King George coins "Georgius" is spelled with a "U and sometimes a V" Name:  george-half-penny-fade-orig.jpg
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Size:  23.1 KBName:  george ii.jpg
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    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
    so don't expect it from cheap people"

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    Click here to view my finds album


  4. #4
    Elite Member
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    WOW, that's a unique find. Congrats on the recovery. WD
    Total silver 3 - Goal 50 (2024 Finds) - 0 Washington - 0 Barber Dimes - 0 Mercury Dimes- - 3 Roosevelt Dimes - 0 V Nickels - 0 Buffalos - 0 War Nickels - 0 Indian - 10 Wheats - $ 3.44 in clad
    Relics: MILESTONES since 2012: 1700 silver coins - 8000 Clad Quarters - 500 Roosevelts - 750 Mercury Dimes

  5. #5
    Elite Member Bucknut's Avatar
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    Jun 2015
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    Yeah that's a unique little coin there! I like it!
    Detectors I use: Minelab Equinox 900 & Manticore
    Favorite finds I have made:
    1,000+ silver coins
    92pcs of 1700's Trade Era Silver
    Copper Culture Indian Artifacts
    125+ War of 1812 Era buttons and relics
    My wife
    (probably should have started with that one)

  6. #6
    That is one of the coolest coins I've ever seen, Dave!

    So cool that it has the alphabet from 1550 on it. Amazing piece of history! You gotta love it!

    "the back is in pretty good nick"

    Uh oh, he's picking up the local colloquialisms. Next thing you know he'll be calling us all "mate".
    Lifetime totals:
    10 Large Cents, 415 Indian Heads, 2 Two Cent Pieces, 1 Capped Bust Half Dime, 1 Seated Half Dime, 10 Shield Nickels, 68 V Nickels, 124 Buffalo Nickels, 31 War Nickels, 16 Seated Dimes, 131 Barber Dimes, 405 Mercury Dimes, 249 Rosies, 4 Seated Quarters, 18 Barber Quarters, 20 Standing Liberty Quarters, 89 Silver Washingtons, 1 Seated Half, 3 Barber Halves, 16 Walking Liberty Halves

    YouTube Channel: Tony Two-Cent https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmz...RlHTBIU42bUORg

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Two-Cent View Post
    That is one of the coolest coins I've ever seen, Dave!

    So cool that it has the alphabet from 1550 on it. Amazing piece of history! You gotta love it!
    Thanks Mate!
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  8. #8
    Interesting coin find! Do you use topo maps and GPS to scout your areas? Just wondering, I study topo's to scout prospective areas regularly.
    Last edited by Sharpshovel; 03-03-2021 at 01:55 AM.

  9. #9
    Such an interesting find, Dave! It's been such a rewarding trip for you. Have your been posting vids of your adventures?
    On Instagram- oxshoedrew

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