A man in the United States found a 100-year-old treasure in a cornfield (video)
A man in Kentucky has found a treasure trove of Civil War coins estimated to be worth millions of dollars. The treasure, which consists of more than 700 coins, was found on a private farm in Kentucky.
The coins date from between 1840 and 1863. There are numerous rare and valuable coins, including the 1863-P gold Liberty coin with a face value of $20 per 1 ounce. This coin is estimated to be worth over $100,000.
The man who found the treasure did not reveal his identity but said he was digging on a farm when he came across a clay pot filled with coins. He took the coins to the Numismatic Guarantee Co. (NGC), which certified their authenticity.
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NGC describes the treasure as "an important historical artifact" that "can tell us about the history of America during an extremely tumultuous period."
Archaeologist Ryan McNutt, who had heard of the treasure but had not seen it, told Live Science that "given the time and the location in Kentucky, which was neutral at the time, it's possible that it was buried in advance of Confederate John Hunt Morgan's raid from June to July 1863."
It is rumored that many wealthy Kentuckians buried huge sums of money to prevent the Confederacy from stealing it. James Langstaff left a letter stating that he buried $20,000 worth of coins on his property in Paducah, William Petit buried $80,000 worth of gold coins near Lexington and Confederate soldiers who were quarantined due to measles allegedly stole a payroll and hid it in a cave in Cumberland Gap.
Given that the hoard of coins is federal currency, McNutt said that it could be the result of a Kentucky resident's deals with the federal government, "deals that would be wise to keep from a Confederate raiding party." According to him, many Americans who suffered from the Civil War "gained experience in hiding goods and valuables."
According to McNutt, most clusters of historical artifacts found on private land end up on the market or are collected without consulting archaeologists. "As a conflict archaeologist, I find this loss of information particularly frustrating," he said.
Such historical finds on private land in the United States do not need to be reported to an archaeologist. But McNutt, who has developed close relationships with landowners, believes that education and outreach are key to learning more about these caches of rare coins.
"It's totally up to the landowner," McNutt said, but not communicating with an archaeologist means "it's a snapshot of the past that's lost forever."
As a reminder, scientists have discovered that drought forced the Huns to become brutal robbers.
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