Dropped a 1700s Spanish silver coin and it rolled into a storm drain

I was out at this old farm site near Lancaster PA last weekend, digging in some muddy ground near a drainage ditch. Found what I thought was a worn 2-reale piece, maybe 1730s based on the little detail I could see. I got so excited I fumbled it out of my gloved hand and watched it roll straight into a metal grate. Spent 20 minutes trying to fish it out with a stick and a magnet but it was gone. Still kicking myself over it - has anyone else lost a good find like that and actually managed to recover it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sage1d ago

Oh man that is brutal, I felt that one in my gut just reading it. Did you try lifting the grate at all or was it bolted down?

stone.thomas1d ago

Read some guy on Reddit who used a crowbar and a prayer.