He probably had to sit down first to process what he found: A farmer from the US state of Kentucky made a spectacular discovery while working on the land. While he was working in his corn field, he noticed something in the ground. A coin – made of gold, it seemed. And she wasn’t the only one hiding there. The man reported his find to authorities.
Archaeologists came to his aid and recovered almost 700 gold coins that someone had apparently buried there over 150 years ago. From 1861 to 1865 the civil war raged in the United States between the northern and southern states. Kentucky was originally neutral during this war – but was eventually taken by the Confederate Army. Maybe someone wanted to hide their savings from the approaching soldiers.
Archaeologist Ryan McNutt also suspects this: “If you consider the time period and the location here in Kentucky, which was previously neutral, then it is absolutely conceivable that the coins were buried before the attack by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan.” So while the find reveals a new insight into the region’s history, coin collectors’ hearts will also beat faster when they hear which pieces were found in the field. Many of these are extremely rare.
“The importance of this find cannot be overstated,” coin dealer Jeff Garrett told the Independent. “The 700 gold coins are like a time capsule from the time of Civil War coinage.” In any case, the lucky finder should get at least a six-figure amount for the coin hoard – estimated conservatively. However, one example — a $20 piece, the 1863 “Gold Liberty” — could be worth millions on its own.
Sources: “Independent”, “Live Science”
