American farmer finds 700 Civil War coins in cornfield
The treasure was buried during the American Civil War.
A Kentucky farmer found a huge hoard of Civil War gold and silver coins in his cornfield. The finds include hundreds of US gold coins issued between 1840 and 1863, as well as a few silver coins. The exact location of the “field of miracles” and the identity of the man are not disclosed.
According to Numismatic Guaranty Co. (NGC), which confirmed the authenticity of the find, 95% of the hoard consists of $1 coins, and the farmer also found 20 $10 coins and eight twenty-dollar coins. The rarest and most expensive of them are $20 gold coins with the image of Liberty. The cost of each of them at the auction is more than $100,000.
Researchers interviewed by Live Science believe the hoard may have been buried in 1863 before the advance of the Confederate troops. The personal records of local residents during the Civil War contain references to some of them burying coins to avoid being robbed by advancing troops. However, most of the treasures described in diaries and letters have not been found.
Archaeologists note with regret that, under US law, it is not necessary to inform scientific organizations about such finds. Because of this, researchers have little opportunity to study the origin and history of such hoards. Some of them become known through trade deals when selling the find, but often the announcements contain too little information.
