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A mysterious 18th-century coin recently resurfaced on a beach in Nantucket, thanks to one determined metal detectorist.
Hobbyist Travis Nichols found the coin — a 1782 silver Spanish one-reale — at a beach on the south shore of the island, according to an Oct. 9 report by the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror.
Nichols is known in the local community, the publication said, for helping others find jewelry and other metal objects they’ve lost on Nantucket’s beaches.
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But his sights were always on historic coinage: He boasts more than 300 coins in his private collection, something he said he cherishes.
Speaking to the Inquirer and Mirror, Nichols said that finding the rare coin was “an amazing feeling.”
Metal detectorist Travis Nichols discovered an 18th-century Spanish silver coin buried along a Nantucket shore. (Paolo Picciotto/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Kaie Quigley/Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror)
“Is returning a $25,000 ring super-important and community-focused? Absolutely,” Nichols said of helping his neighbors.
“But selfishly, finding a $30 silver coin is the top.”
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He told the same source he believes that, based on its marks, the coin was minted in Mexico City.
Nichols said the coin is relatively young, as Nantucket detectorists have found coins dating back to the 1650s on the island.
A well-known metal detectorist on Nantucket has spent years combing the island’s beaches for hidden relics. (Kaie Quigley/Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror)
“This coin came from Mexico City, somehow sailed to New England and then probably took another ship to Nantucket,” Nichols said. He mused, “What was it doing on the south shore?”
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The spot where the coin was found appears to be promising. Nichols previously found a historic penny there — notably, it was clipped to half its value.
“To think on Nantucket, a penny was too much money,” the detectorist remarked.
Many of Nichols’ finds hint at Nantucket’s role as a bustling seaport in the 1700s. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
All in all, the hobbyist said he’s interested in patrolling the spot to see what else will turn up.
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“It’s a popular beach spot,” he said. “I’ve just got to see what else is there.”
Nichols now joins a number of other metal detectorists who have found unusual coins this year.
The Nantucket discovery comes amid a year of unusual coin finds by detectorists worldwide. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
Marius Mangeac, a metal detectorist in Romania, spoke with Fox News Digital in May after uncovering 1,469 ancient Roman coins.
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Over the summer, a group of friends in Poland uncovered pots filled with coins and hundreds of grams of gold during a search for German V-2 rockets.