Kentucky Hoards Gold Coin Collection Discovered in Cornfields
Coin collectors rejoiced after gold was struck in a Kentucky cornfield last month, literally.
More than 800 Civil War-era gold coins were discovered after being buried more than 1[ads1]50 years ago.
Part of what makes this collection such a rare find is that not too many gold coins were produced during the Civil War, Louisville Numismatic Exchange President Byrd Saylor told USA Today.
It wasn’t unusual for people to bury their money in times of war to keep it safe, but what can make these coins sell for a premium is all the mystery surrounding their discovery, Saylor said.
Wealth galore:The Hunt for $25k: Hikers struggle to decode a poem that leads to treasure in Utah
What does Kentucky have to do with this?
Kentucky declared its neutrality at the beginning of the Civil War when tensions were high between Northern and Southern states.
Despite the declaration of neutrality, many families in the state were pitted against each other.
A rare coin dealer was called to inspect the coins upon discovery.
“The significance of this discovery cannot be overstated, as the amazing number of over 700 gold dollars represents a virtual time capsule of Civil War era coins, including coins from the elusive Dahlonega Mint. Finding a Mint condition 1863 Double Eagle would be a major numismatic event. To find nearly so many amazing examples is hard to fathom,” Jeff Garrett wrote in the Numismatic Guaranty Company’s press release.
What is the Great Kentucky Hoard?
The coin collection called the Great Kentucky Hoard consists of U.S. gold dollars and gold Liberty Coins from 1840-1863, with gold dollars making up about 95% of the collection, according to GovMint.com and the Numismatic Guaranty Company.
Each coin that is part of the collection was struck in 90% gold at the Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans, or Carson City mints.
- US gold dollars from 1854-1862.
- $10 Gold Liberty’s (20) from 1840-1862
- $20 Gold Liberty’s (8) from 1857 and 1862.
- $20 Gold Liberty’s (18) from 1863
- A small number of silver coins
Finding gold in the ground is ‘the craziest thing ever’
In a video posted by GovMint Coins, you see a man digging up the coins caked in dirt, noting how unreal the find was.
The coins were sent to the Numismatic Guaranty Company for certification and grading. After the dirt was removed, coin experts found most of the collection to be in perfect condition, earning the designation “extremely fine to strike”.
The coins that were in extremely good condition were probably lightly circulated before being buried, while some of the other coins could have been picked up in a bank and never used.
Although the details of the finder and location remain confidential, the coins are available for purchase online at GovMint.com or by phone at 888-870-6339.
