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A Kentucky man recently discovered more than 700 rare Civil War-era coins buried in a cornfield.
The discovery, dubbed by GovMint as 'the Great Kentucky Hoard,' includes hundreds of U.S. gold pieces, as well as several silver coins, dated between 1840 and 1863.
"This is the most insane thing ever: Those are all $1 gold coins, $20 gold coins, $10 gold coins," said the man, whose identity has not been revealed, in a video showing his findings, which were covered in dirt at the time.
The Numismatic Guaranty Co., which certified the coins' authenticity and GovMint, confirmed that the 19th century coin hoard was made up of 95% gold dollars, 20 $10 Liberty coins, eight $20 Liberty coins and 18 1863-P $20 1-ounce gold Liberty coins, which are the rarest among the collection and estimated to sell for more than $100,000 at auction.
The 1863-P $20 1-ounce gold $20 Liberty coins included in the hoard are reported to be even more rare than similar coins minted after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1866 because they don't include the phrase 'In God We Trust.' Jeff Garrett, a rare coin dealer and leading expert in American coinage, was tasked by NGC with handling the hoard.
“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,” Garrett said via NGCCoin.com. “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.”