The Hatpin

Check out this gorgeous hatpin made from a 1906 Indian Head. I found it in an old church yard near Roanoke, VA at a depth of about 4 inches. The 8 inch ferrous pin is rusty but in excellent shape for having been in the ground for so long (it doesn't show in the pictures because of lighting). It's also probably responsible for the fact that it was still there. I didn't find anything else at that hunted out site. I'm sure the broken, funky signal was discriminated out or passed over by many a hunter.

The craftsmanship is phenomenal. A hole was punched through the center of the coin and the 3-D head and pin mount were soldered in place from the back. Note how the feather and the hair braid are lapped over the original coin surface. The whole thing was silver plated and attached to the pin.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be worth? I'll take bids but I reserve the right not to sell.
 

Addendum:

On Sunday, January 25 1997 I received an e-mail from a serious collector who did a web search on 'hatpin' and found my picture. He gave me some background info on this type of hatpin and made a standing offer of $75 for this one. The power of the web is awesome! The search engines and connection of the world's databases has truly brought us into the information age.