KENTUCKY HOARD FINDER COMES FORWARD

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The E-Sylum: Volume 27, Number 18, May 5, 2024, Article 16

KENTUCKY HOARD FINDER COMES FORWARD

While I understand why coin hoard finders may wish to remain anonymous, it always leaves a cloud over the reported story since it could all be just made-up marketing hooey. But the previously unknown (to most of the world, anyway) farmer who discovered some 800 gold and silver Civil War-era coins buried in a cornfield will be interviewed on a local television program this week. -Editor

In 2023, a Kentucky farmer discovered a cache of more than 800 gold and silver Civil War-era coins buried in a cornfield — a rare find one coin expert said was hard to comprehend. The discovery triggered an avalanche of media interest from around the globe, with stories appearing in The New York Times, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine and USA Today, among others.

Fearing an onslaught of fortune seekers on his property, the Kentucky farmer went to great lengths to remain anonymous and silent — until now.

I initially found the 1856 Seated Liberty Half Dollar probably 20 to 30 feet from where the hoard was located, the farmer told Kentucky Life. I would have never believed what came next. Things that only happen in dreams.

When I continued walking and saw the glint of gold – a thick reeded edge. When I pulled the coin from the ground, I was astonished when I realized I was holding a $20 Double Eagle from the 1860s. After I flipped the first clump of dirt over the next 45 minutes to an hour, the coins kept coming. I knew it was hundreds.

On a special Kentucky Life episode, for the first time ever viewers will hear from the farmer, as well as antique coin expert Jeff Garrett with Mid-America Rare Coin Galleries, offering their thoughts about the fateful day and the discovery now known as The Great Kentucky Hoard.

UK historian Amy Murell-Taylor will also discuss what was happening in Kentucky during the Civil War that may have led to these coins being put in the ground. The program will take viewers exploring with three guys who call themselves The Dirt Nerds as they search for buried treasure in the Bluegrass.

Kentucky Life – The Great Kentucky Hoard will air on Saturday, May 11 at 8 p.m. and Wednesday, May 15 at 2:30 p.m. on KET. Kentucky life is also available on-demand at KET.org.

To read the complete article, see:
‘Kentucky Life' to explore discovery of Civil War-era gold coins known as The Great Kentucky Hoard (https://nkytribune.com/2024/05/kentucky-life-to-explore-discovery-of-civil-war-era-gold-coins-known-as-the-great-kentucky-hoard/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE GREAT KENTUCKY HOARD (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n25a18.html)
MORE ON THE GREAT KENTUCKY HOARD (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n29a20.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

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