A FAMILY was shocked when their children dug up a rare 16th-century coin worth $33,500.
The Kozikowski family used metal detectors to look for rare coins at the Wrentham Center in Massachusetts.
The parents, Mick and Kathleen, approached a dirt lot dug up for paving with their kids, Michael and Kasia.
The kids began their excursion at the construction site and soon found a coin in one portion of the lot.
“It is a copper coin with a green patina, and you could tell it was something really, really old,” coin collector Mick told Norfolk & Wrentham.
He and his wife were stunned when they got home and did a Google search on the coin.
1785 NOVA CONSTELLATIO
The family discovered the coin was a Nova Constellatio coin from 1785.
Coin expert and I Have Coins & Collectibles store owner Rod Crochiere said hobbyists often find rare coins with metal detectors.
“It’s an incredible thing to get out of the ground because you have to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.”
He also noted how Kozikowski’s Nova Constellatio coin had significant historical value.
“It’s definitely what hobbyists call a ‘bucket-list’ find,” Crochiere said.
A 1785 Copper Nova Constellatio coin sells for $2,400 on eBay while another sells for $3,840.
One 1785 Copper Nova Constellatio coin with Pointed Rays was valued at $17,250, according to Heritage Auctions.
But one version of the coin sold for a whopping $33,500, according to the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
A LITTLE HISTORY
The coin was circulated on a limited basis in 1783 with support from Robert Morris.
He was known for financing the Revolutionary War and signing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
RULES ON FINDING MONEY
The saying 'finders keepers' is not always true as people who find money and keep it may quickly find out.
While State and local laws may differ slightly, the majority will require you to attempt to find the owner of the money.
If you fail to make “reasonable efforts” to track down the owner, many states will be able to charge you with theft or larceny of lost property.
The penalty will most likely be based on the value of the lost property as larger finds that are kept without making “reasonable efforts” to find the owner may be classed as a felony rather than a misdemeanor.
The term “reasonable efforts” includes asking people nearby if they dropped any cash, checking the envelope or wallet (if there is one) for an ID, handing it into a nearby store, or contacting the police on a non-emergency line.
Some laws will authorize the police to return the money to the finder if no one has claimed it after a period of time.
Always check your local and state laws which will most likely outline what to do if you find property or cash.
It is also advised that you contact the police or a criminal defense lawyer who can assist in what the laws state and how you should proceed.
Source: Criminal Defense Lawyer
While the colonies clung to foreign coins, Morris suggested a national system which has now evolved into the current US currency.
The Nova Constellatio coin had various versions with different values, but the coin found by the Kozikowskis was a Pointed Ray half-cent.
Kozikowski said his family found even more relics while digging.
This included a Braided Hair large cent from 1840, a 1917 Mercury dime, and two Indian Head pennies from 1900 and 1906.
Aside from coins, they found coat buttons and a silver knee buckle.
MORE COINS
Another digging excursion led to a group finding old coins on the beach worth over $5,000.
The coins were linked to a Spanish shipwreck off the Florida coast.
Instead of selling them, the coin collectors expressed a desire to donate the coins to museums.
One explorer found a gold coin while scuba diving worth $98,000.
Meanwhile, read why experts called one man’s plain coin the “holy grail” and valued it at $250,000.