A man in Kentucky discovered a hoard of over 700 coins from the American Civil War (1861-1865) while digging on his property earlier this year.
The coin hoard consists of hundreds of gold coins minted in the United States from 1840 to 1863, which make up about 95% of the collection, along with a few silver coins. According to Numismatic Guaranty Co. (NGC), which certifies the authenticity of coins, and GovMint, the hoard includes 20 Liberty $10 coins and 8 Liberty $20 coins. Each of these Liberty coins could fetch up to six figures at auction.
Approximately 95% of the ancient coin hoard consists of gold coins from the American Civil War. (Image: Numismatic Guaranty Co.)
According to the NGC website, the Liberty $20 coin was in circulation from 1850 to 1907, minted by the U.S. Treasury following the discovery of gold in California. The newly found Liberty $20 coins are even rarer because they lack the inscription “In God We Trust,” which was added in 1866 after the Civil War ended.
Importantly, the ancient coin hoard in Kentucky sheds light on U.S. history during a very tumultuous period. “Based on the time and location in Kentucky—then a neutral ground—it’s very likely the hoard was buried before the raid in June-July 1863 led by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan,” said Ryan McNutt, an archaeologist at the University of Southern Georgia. According to rumors, many wealthy Kentuckians buried large sums of money to avoid confiscation by the Confederate forces.
McNutt noted that most historical artifacts discovered on private land are either sold on the market or collected without archaeological consultation. “As an archaeologist, I find this loss of information particularly distressing,” he shared. Ancient hoards contain a wealth of information about their owners, providing experts with detailed data about a specific period.
Historical discoveries on private land in the U.S., like the case in Kentucky, do not need to be reported to archaeologists. However, McNutt believes that educational outreach and community engagement are key to learning more about these rare coin hoards.
