Barber Half Dollar
I found two of these half dollars in one metal detecting hunt. The waves at the beach were real choppy, and the wind was whipping out of the East.
I'm surprised I had the guts to get in the water.
I went in about waist deep and realized that the waves had moved the sand and I was getting signals all over the place. They all turned out to be old silver coins.
They have been in the water a long time too, that's why they look like they're all eaten up by salt water. The black coating was real thick on them, so I used my electrolysis unit to clean them up.
Once we found a Barber half dollar with a piece of tape on it, and the only place it wasn't corroded was under the tape. When did they invent tape?
History: Barber or Liberty Head type half dollars were minted between 1892-1915. They were designed by Charles E. Barber with a weight of 12.50 grams and a composition of .900 silver and .100 copper. They are a little larger at 30.6 mm. diameter.
They have a reeded edge and they were minted in Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, and San Fransisco.
The mint mark location is on the reverse below the eagle. The most valuable ones are the 1892O or an 1892S.
Read when coins were minted in the US Coin Timeline.