A Kentucky man recently discovered a stash of 700 Civil War era coins buried on his farm, providing collectors with a rare collection of coins worth millions of dollars.
Numismatic Guaranty Company has certified the coin collection, nicknamed “The Great Kentucky Hoard.” The coin collection includes several 1863 Double Eagles, hundreds of U.S. gold dollars from 1850 to 1862, and a handful of silver coins.
A YouTube video shared by GovMint, a collectible coin marketer based in the United States, shows the unidentified man digging up the coins that were buried on his Kentucky farm.
“This is the most insane thing ever,” the man said. “These are all $1 gold coins, $20 gold coins, $10 gold coins and, look, I’m still diggin’ them out.”
According to GovMint, the majority of the coins in the Great Kentucky Hoard are gold dollars. However, the collection also includes roughly twenty $10 Liberty coins from 1840-1862, eight $20 Liberty coins from 1857-1862, and eighteen $20 Liberty coins.
GovMint noted that the $20 Liberty coin often sells for six-figures. According to Live Science, the coins are rare because they do not feature the “In God We Trust” marking since the phrase was not added until 1866, which was after the end of the Civil War.
“While I’m always excited when someone calls asking for advice about a rare coin discovery, the opportunity to handle the Great Kentucky Hoard is one of the highlights of my career,” Jeff Garrett, a rare coin expert and dealer, said.
Garrett added, “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. Finding nearly a roll of superb examples is hard to comprehend.”
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The Great Kentucky Hoard coins are currently available for purchase exclusively through GovMint.
Andy Salzberg, executive vice president of the Certified Collectibles Group, which is associated with Numismatic Guaranty Company, explained that the coins which were discovered on the Kentucky farm are “remarkably well preserved.” He added that the coins feature “an astonishing luster a newfound freshness” that are “rarely observed” in historic coins.
“NGC is incredibly delighted to have been selected as the preferred grading service for this extraordinary discovery, which can be deemed as a truly exceptional occurrence in a lifetime,” he said.
