Treasure of millions of dollars worth of Civil War gold coins found in cornfield

Experts: Importance of this find ‘cannot be overestimated’

A resident of the US state of Kentucky found a treasure trove of gold coins from the American Civil War worth millions of dollars in a cornfield. Hundreds of gold coins date from 1840-1863 and may have been hidden as a result of that state’s declaration of neutrality during the North-South War.

A man has dug up more than 800 US Civil War gold coins worth millions of dollars from a Kentucky cornfield.

According to The Guardian, on June 9, coin dealer GovMint.com posted a YouTube video of this remarkable discovery. In the video, an unidentified man can be heard naming the $1, $10 and $20 gold coins he dug up, adding that the find was “the craziest thing in history.”

According to GovMint.com, the gold coins that have been called the “Great Kentucky Hoard” date from 1840 to 1863. The hoard consists of $1 gold coins, $10 gold $20 coins, and several 1863 “super-fast” gold Double Eagles.

“The most amazing find in this hoard is about eighteen gold Liberty coins (with a symbolic image of Liberty in the form of a woman – “MK”), a $20 denomination of 1863, one of the rarest dates in the $20 Liberty series! This is a coin that is often valued at a six-figure price,” the website says.

The so-called “double eagles” (Double Eagle) – US $ 20 gold coins, minted from 1849 to 1933. and having several varieties. The 1933 Double Eagle is called the most expensive coin in the world.

The coins found in the hoard were later certified by the Numismatic Guarantee Company, a third-party coin certification company. According to GovMint.com, the discovered coins show “stunning brilliance” and most of them have been rated as “Extremely Fine Minting Condition”.

After the coins were certified, the Numismatic Guarantee Company stated that they may have been hidden as a result of Kentucky’s declaration of neutrality during the North-South Civil War.

The state, which bordered the northern union states and the southern confederate states, took a neutral stance during the American civil strife, which the Numismatic Guarantee Company says has caused many families across the state to turn against each other.

Jeff Garrett, a rare coin dealer and coinage expert in the US, was contacted to investigate the hoard, according to NGC.

“While I’m always happy when someone calls and asks for advice on finding a rare coin, the opportunity to view the Great Kentucky Treasure is one of the highlights of my career,” says Garrett. “The importance of this discovery cannot be overstated, as the staggering amount of over 700 gold dollars is a virtual time capsule of Civil War-era coinage, including coins from the elusive Dahlonega Mint,” Garrett said, referring to the Georgia Mint, which operated from 1838 to 1861 and produced only gold coins.

“The discovery of a single double eagle from 1863 minted at the mint was an important numismatic event. Finding almost a whole range of excellent examples is difficult to understand,” he added.

The coins have since been listed for sale on the market, with gold coins ranging in value from $995 to $1,295, according to GovMint.com. Gold Liberties were also put up for sale, and customers were required to report their availability and price by phone.

According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, another third-party coin grading company, the auction record for an 1863 Liberty Double Eagle gold coin is $381,875.