Lucky Mystery Kentucky Man Literally Unearths Buried Treasure Worth Millions
People with vivid imaginations often daydream of stumbling across a hidden treasure that could change their lives forever.
Such fantasies, in which the grass is greener and financial issues are a thing of the past, can take up hours a day for those who have them.
That dream is a reality for one farmer who stumbled across a trove of 700 Civil War-era gold and silver coins in a field on his Kentucky property — where the grass was likely a shade of blue.
Live Science reported the mystery man, whose property and identity have not been released, uncovered coins that were minted between 1840 and 1863.
GovMint, which authenticates and sells rare coins, shared a video of the discovery of the pieces, which are 95 percent gold.
A short clip shows the coins covered in mud and other sediment after sitting for more than 160 years.
The man who found the treasure can be heard on video sharing his excitement.
“This is the most insane thing ever,” he said.
“Every state has tales of lost or buried treasure and that’s especially true in Kentucky!” GovMint noted. “One of the greatest finds occurred this year, 2023, unearthed on Kentucky farmland—a find so monumental that it has been hailed as the Great Kentucky Hoard.”
Amid the cache of money were $1 Gold Indian coins, $10 Gold Liberty coins and $20 Gold Liberty coins.
The $20 coins can go for six figures apiece.
Gov Mint said there were also a handful of “super-rare” 1863 Gold Liberty Double Eagles.
According to Live Science, discoveries such as the one in Kentucky do not need to be reported for further archaeological examination.
But Georgia Southern University archaeologist Ryan McNutt recommended people who find hidden treasures contact someone in his field.
“It is entirely up to the landowner,” McNutt told Live Science, but he warned that going about selling a hidden treasure without consulting an archaeologist means a “snapshot of the past” is “lost forever.”
Kentucky man finds over 700 Civil War-era coins buried in his cornfield – According to NGC, which certified the coins’ authenticity, and GovMint, where the coins were sold, 95% of the hoard is composed of gold dollars, along with 20 $10 Liberty coins and eight $20 Liberty coins pic.twitter.com/ye018aVge8
— Gold & Silver Coins (@dgsecompanies) July 10, 2023
GovMint explained why there might be more treasures out there just waiting to be found in Kentucky, and perhaps neighboring states.
Due to tensions in Kentucky prior to the Civil War, people buried their savings in holes in the ground as their neighbors chose sides in the conflict.
“When the Civil War broke out in early 1861, gold, silver and even copper coins vanished from circulation as people who were fearful of the war’s outcome stashed them away,” the company said.
But not all treasures were buried in Kentucky.
According to PBS, there is loot from Maine to Virginia, consisting of everything from pirate treasure to Nazi money, waiting to be found by anyone with a daydream, a metal detector and a shovel.
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