Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The largest hoard of gold coins ever found in the US.

A couple walking the dog on their property in Northern California last spring discovered the biggest and most valuable gold coin hoard ever unearthed in the United States. They were treading the same well-worn path they’ve trod hundreds of times for the dog’s daily constitutional when they spotted the rusted top of a metal can sticking up out of the eroded ground. They dug the can out with a stick and took it home


When the lid cracked off the husband saw the seductive rib of a single gold coin. Clearing out the rest of the contents, they found a lot of dirt and a stack of $20 liberty head gold coins from the 1890s. The pair promptly returned to the find spot, an area they dubbed Saddle Ridge, and dug some more. They immediately found another can about a foot to the left of where they had found the first can. Then they found five more smaller cans, and one last can they used a metal detector to locate.


The exceptional condition and rarity of the coins makes their estimated market value around $10 million.

One of them, an 1866-S No Motto Double Eagle, is estimated to be worth $1 million on its own.

The couple, who naturally want to remain anonymous, said that Years ago, on their first hike, they noticed an old tree growing into the hill. It had an empty rusty can hanging from it that the tree had grown around – that was right at the site where we found the coins… At the time they thought the can might be a place for someone to put flowers in for a gravesite – something which would have been typical at the time.

There was also an unusual angular rock up the hill from where the coins were buried – which caused them to wonder what significance it might have.  It wasn’t until they made the find that they realized it might have been a marker: starting at the rock, if you walk 10 paces towards the North Star, you wind up smack in the middle of the coins!

Vikings and Romans, eat your hearts out!

Hat tip: The History Blog.

6 comments:

  1. Whose property was it? "Finders keepers" is not really a law.

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    1. That's why if I ever found anything like that, I'd sell it off one at a time, quietly, and without a fuss. I do understand that it was their own property, however, that they found this on.

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  2. Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. The feds may want their cut also...

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    1. The possible source of those coins is also an interesting subject for speculation. Given that they are all uncirculated, I suspect that they are the product of a theft, perhaps of the payroll of a mine or railroad. The culprit stashed the money where it was found, then went off acting like nothing happened, planning to come back in a few years after the heat had dissipated. During the wait something happened and he never returned. Sounds plausible to me.

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  3. Governments love "found treasure" and normally claim all of it for themselves. Spain normally claims any gold found in the Atlantic ocean as "belonging to them".

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  4. Amazing. The comments will tell you about ownership.

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