While digging on his rural farm in Kentucky, a man stumbled upon a rare find as he unearthed over 700 coins from the Civil War era buried in the ground, which are worth millions of dollars today.
The discovery of the coins, which has been nicknamed the “Great Kentucky Hoard,” was verified by the Numismatic Guaranty Company. The company shared that the coins included a group of 1863 Double Eagles, silver coins, and hundreds of U.S. gold dollars dated from 1850 to 1862.
The man, who has not shared his name, spoke with GovMint about the find, which is one of the biggest collectible coin marketers in the U.S. In a video posted on YouTube, the man could be seen digging up the coins, which, altogether, could be worth millions.
“This is the most insane thing ever,” he said. “These are all $1 gold coins, $20 gold coins, $10 gold coins, and, look, I’m still diggin’ them out.”
Exactly where the coins were found in Kentucky has not been shared, but GovMint did share that 95% of the coins found are gold dollars. However, there was a plethora of rare coins dug up as well.
Among the rarest were 18 1863-P $20 Gold Liberty coins, which GovMint says can be worth six figures in today’s money.
According to Live Science, the coins are rare because they do not have the iconic “In God We Trust” phrase engraved on them. The phrase was later added to all gold and silver currency in 1866.
The hoard of treasure also included about 20 $10 Liberty coins, dating from 1840 to 1862, and about eight $20 Liberty coins, dating from 1857 to 1862.
When it comes to why the coins were buried on the farm, there is still some debate though, Ryan McNutt, a conflict archeologist at Georgia Southern University, told Live Science that it could have been “buried in advance of Confederate John Hunt Morgan’s June to July 1863 raid.”
Kentucky played an interesting part in the war, being on the border of the Confederacy and the Union. Due to its location, families were often pitted against each other, with some choosing to fight for opposite armies.
Nonetheless, the coins carry great importance for those who deal in rare coins, like Jeff Garrett, who spoke with the New York Post about the find.
“The importance of this discovery cannot be overstated, as the stunning number of over 700 gold dollars represents a virtual time capsule of Civil War-era coinage, including coins from the elusive Dahlonega Mint. Finding one mint-condition 1863 Double Eagle would be an important numismatic event,” Garrett said.
For anyone interested in owning a piece of history, the coins are currently available for purchase via GovMint.
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