North Carolina couple investigated a rusty can sticking out of the ground — under it lay USA's biggest treasure haul worth $10 million
There were a total of 1,427 gold coins
Most people dream of finding a pirate's treasure, and some may even have hunted for treasure as kids. Back in 2013, a couple from Northern California was walking their dog on their rural property when they noticed something unusual: a tin can hanging off a tree. They thought it was a grave marker and were about to ignore it when they noticed half a can poking out of the ground. Curious, they dug it up, thinking it was lead paint, judging by its weight. When they opened it up, they made history, reported Active NorCal. Their collection was also displayed by The Telegraph (@telegraph) in a video on Feb 26, 2014.
The largest buried treasure in America
When the couple opened the can, they saw several historic gold coins. They were stunned by their discovery and wondered if there was more. They returned to the site, dug around, and found eight more cans containing various gold coins. There were a total of 1,427 coins. They tried to keep it safe by burying the coins in an ice chest under a pile of wood. The couple's names and the location of their property were not disclosed for privacy and safety reasons.
The couple were simply referred to as John and Mary, and their property as "Gold Country." The coins are referred to as the "Saddle Ridge Hoard," and continue to be one of the biggest known discoveries of buried gold coins in American soil.
A collection of extremely rare coins
After John and Mary tried to identify and value the coins, they reached out to the numismatics department in Tiburon for verification. David J. McCarthy from the California firm, Kagin, was given the task to assess and keep the coins safe. He told the news outlet, "Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine coins coming out of the ground in the kind of condition that I saw in front of me. Many pieces were finer than anything known in major collections or museums." Kagin estimated the face value of the coins at $27,980. They also arranged for the coins to be sold exclusively through Amazon, and brought the couple a whopping $10 million.
Coin-collecting knowledge
Coin collecting, as a hobby, can be both enjoyable and financially rewarding. However, the American Rare Coin Collectors Association revealed that coin-collecting knowledge is disappearing as we speak. It was one of the most common hobbies among Americans. A CivicScience survey revealed that 38% of U.S. adults have collected coins at some point in their lives.
The Association said, "A lot of people tell us their kids just aren't interested...we see collections where somebody clearly had a system. Then years later, the labels are gone, the coins are mixed together, and nobody remembers why certain pieces were saved." Similarly, the couple reached out to experts to determine the authenticity of the coins. McCarthy revealed that the collection even contained some of the rarest coins in the world, the rare Double Eagle coins (1866-1894), worth $1 million today.
Theories about the 'Saddle Ridge Hoard'
The couple used the $10 million from the coins to pay off their debts, donate to local charities, and even kept a few as part of their family heirloom. As for the origin of the coins, there were several theories surrounding it. Some believed they were stolen from the San Francisco Mint in 1901 by Walter Dimmick. However, the Mint denied the allegations. A few thought it was Black Bart's loot, an infamous stagecoach robber from the late 1800s. Some also thought that it belonged to the late American outlaw Jesse James.
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