A Kentucky farmer was digging in his corn field earlier this year when he discovered over 700 coins. About 95% of the unexpected stash dated back to the American Civil War. This chance finding of a Civil War hoard included rare, minted coins and has now been branded “the Great Kentucky Hoard.”
According to the Numismatic Guaranty Company ( NGC), who certified the coins’ authenticity, the rare Civil War hoard of coins includes the “finest-known 1863 Double Eagles, as well as several interesting varieties and errors.” The lucky farmer from the Bluegrass State told Live Science that the discovery was “the most insane thing ever.”
Pulling Riches from the Earth: The Civil War Hoard
The finder of the hoard, which includes hundreds of gold coins dating to between 1840 and 1863, in addition to a handful of silver coins, decided to remain anonymous. “Those are all $1 gold coins, $20 gold coins, $10 gold coins,” stated the discoverer on GovMint.com as he pulled the coins from the Civil War hoard from his corn field.
NGC stated that around 95% of the hoard is composed of gold dollars, and that it included “about 20 $10 Liberty coins and eight $20 Liberty coins.” A report in Live Science highlighted that “one of these coins can go for six figures at auction.” The Great Kentucky Hoard boasts 18 of them!
The rarest coin within the Civil War hoard is a 1863-P $20 1-ounce gold Liberty coin, which circulated from 1850 to…
