A man unearthed a fortune in gold from a cornfield.
An unnamed man in Kentucky, USA, thought he had hit the jackpot after discovering over 700 gold coins in his cornfield. However, police and archaeologists immediately became involved, suspecting these were historically significant gold coins dating back to the American Civil War.
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This discovery was later dubbed “The Great Treasure of Kentucky,” and although its exact value has not yet been determined, one of the coins is a $20 Gold Liberty coin from 1863. It had previously sold at auction for over $100,000 (approximately 2.3 billion VND).
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According to Numismatic Guaranty Co. (NGC), the organization responsible for certifying the authenticity of the coins, 95% of the coins found are made of gold. There are also approximately 20 Liberty coins worth $10 from 1840 to 1862 and about 8 Liberty coins worth $20 from 1857 to 1862. The rarest of these is the 1863 Liberty coin, a 28.3g gold coin worth $20. It is estimated that up to 18 of these coins could fetch ten-figure prices at auction.
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NGC also provides further details about the $20 Liberty coin, which circulated from 1850 to 1907. These coins were minted by the Treasury Department after gold was discovered in California. The $20 Liberty coins are rare because they do not contain the inscription “In God We Trust”—an inscription added in 1866 after the Civil War ended.
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Beyond its economic value, this treasure can also tell us about the history of America during a period of extreme turmoil.
Kentucky was a frontier state during the American Civil War and declared neutrality when hostilities first broke out. It was the site of many fierce battles. Concerns about the uncertain future due to war led many wealthy residents to hide their valuables. Legends of buried treasures left behind by famous figures such as Daniel Boone (an explorer and one of America’s first national heroes), Jesse James (a notorious gang leader), and many others have persisted throughout Kentucky’s history.
Jeff Garrett, a rare coin expert, was invited to verify the claims: “The importance of this discovery cannot be overstated; it’s not just the incredible numbers, but also the significant implications for Civil War history. The discovery of a pristine 1863 Double Eagle coin will be a momentous event for researchers.”
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Ryan McNutt, an archaeologist at the University of South Georgia who had heard about the treasure but never seen it firsthand, shared with Live Science in an email that: “Most historical artifacts found on privately owned land are either sold on the market or collected without archaeological consultation. As an archaeologist, I feel deeply troubled and regretful about this. The treasure contains an incredible amount of information about its true owner, providing archaeologists with valuable insights into history.”