Dig It

There are treasures at the bottom of the sea - just think about all those pirate ships at the bottom of the oceans and seas, filled with treasure chests and Spanish doubloons.  Almost makes me want to get some scuba gear and go for it!

But here's a fortune that a guy found while staying completely dry, unless it was raining in Kentucky one certain day.  A Civil War coin hoard turned up down there, proving that there is something even more theft proof than banks...the ground. 

In an old cornfield in KY, earlier this year, a man who is staying anonymous (and keeping this location the same!) found more than 700 gold coins. They're calling it the Great Kentucky Hoard. All these coins are from 1840 and 1863. Included in the loot: $10 gold "Lady Liberty" coins, rare 1863 $20 gold Liberty double eagles, and $1 coins known as Indian princess dollars.

This guy didn't just roll into town on a head of cabbage. He hired the Numismatic Guaranty Company to remove surface gunk and prepares the coins for long-term preservation. They also examined all the coins and identified some rare "error coins."

When the Civil War started (1861) Kentucky was a Southern state where slavery was legal, and many of its citizens decided to remain loyal to the United States, so they officially declared themselves neutral. 

With so much in doubt, including obviously the national banking system, many people buried their stashes of gold as an insurance policy of sorts. Four years later when the War was over (spoiler alert: the North won!) perhaps the owner of all this was dead or otherwise unable to dig up his coins.

And, these coins were genuine US federal currency, not Confederate money, which is as worthless as a sundial in a snowstorm.

And get your shovels and backpacks ready:  A Kentuckian named William Pettit buried $80,000 worth of gold coins on his farm in Lexington, but died before he got around to digging it up.

So, next time you're heading to Kentucky to look after your racehorse, fried chicken, and bourbon interests, dig in!