Jennifer Nalewicki
Tue, July 18, 2023
A person wearing gloves holds a gold coin.
Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered a handful of 500-year-old gold coins buried among the ruins of a medieval monastery.
Known as Himmelpforten, the Augustinian Hermit monastery housed monks from its founding in 1253 into the 16th century. The archaeologists think the four coins were "hastily hidden" by one of the monks in 1525 during an uprising in which farmers stormed the monastery in Wernigerode, a town in central Germany, according to a translated article in Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper.
"The gold coins were of great value, and the small fortune was probably hidden by a monk in an acutely dangerous situation," Felix Biermann, a project manager and archaeologist from the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology, told Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. "It didn't end well because the coins couldn't be recovered."
Related: Massive hoard of Roman-era silver coins unearthed in Germany
Classified as guilders (guldens), a type of currency used during the Holy Roman Empire, the coins include one that was minted in Frankfurt before 1493, during the reign of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III; another coin minted in Schwabach, outside Nuremberg, sometime between 1486 and 1495; and two coins produced in Bonn by the Archdiocese of Cologne around 1480, according to Newsweek.
In addition to the coins, researchers discovered an array of artifacts, including brass book clasps from the monastery's library, ceramics, animal bones, a cavalry spur and lead seals that were used to stamp cloth for commerce, all of which provide insight into the large-scale trade and prosperity of the monastery, according to Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
All that remains of the monastery itself is the foundations of some buildings, including the main chapel and refectory where the monks would have dined.
A man unearthed 700 gold coins in a Kentucky cornfield. It could confirm a long-held theory about how Southerners protected their treasure during the Civil War.
Erin McDowell
Wed, July 19, 2023
A man recently found a treasure trove of gold coins in a Kentucky cornfield.
Dennis Parada, right, and his son stand at the site of the FBI's dig for cvil war-era gold in Dents Run, Pennsylvania, in September 2018
The Kentucky coins have already sold, and the entire collection could rake in more than $1 million
A coin from the Great Kentucky Hoard.
In a short clip posted to YouTube by GovMint, the coin dealer charged with selling the coins, a man could be heard identifying how many coins he had dug up, calling it "the most insane thing ever."
"This is what every treasure hunter dreams about and this man lives it," one commenter wrote.
Erin McDowell
Wed, July 19, 2023
A man recently found a treasure trove of gold coins in a Kentucky cornfield.
Certified Collectibles Group; Brian Koellish/Getty Images
An unidentified man found a treasure trove of gold coins in a Kentucky cornfield.
The coins, which were minted before or during the Civil War, could be worth more than $1 million.
Urban legends have circulated for years about treasure buried before and during the Civil War.
An unidentified man recently found a treasure trove of more than 700 gold coins — believed to be worth more than $1 million — in a Kentucky cornfield.
According to The New York Times, the discovery apparently confirms a long-held belief by treasure hunters that Southerners buried valuables before and during the Civil War to protect it from invading armies.
The finding, which is now being referred to as the Great Kentucky Hoard, includes genuine $1, $10, and $20 gold coins minted before and during the Civil War.
Urban legends have circulated for years about treasure buried before and during the Civil War
According to Live Science, Ryan McNutt, a conflict archaeologist at Georgia Southern University, said that the coins might have been buried before a Confederate raid carried out by General John Hunt Morgan in the summer of 1863.
At the time, Kentucky was declared a neutral state. Citizens were reportedly wary of their funds being stolen by the Confederacy, which led some to believe people may have buried their wealth in the ground for safekeeping.
Since the 19th century, treasure hunters have sought to unearth the gold they believe was hidden in the Civil War. The New York Times shared archival reports describing how people unearthed gold in Georgia in 1884, and in Alabama and Tennessee in 1926.
An unidentified man found a treasure trove of gold coins in a Kentucky cornfield.
The coins, which were minted before or during the Civil War, could be worth more than $1 million.
Urban legends have circulated for years about treasure buried before and during the Civil War.
An unidentified man recently found a treasure trove of more than 700 gold coins — believed to be worth more than $1 million — in a Kentucky cornfield.
According to The New York Times, the discovery apparently confirms a long-held belief by treasure hunters that Southerners buried valuables before and during the Civil War to protect it from invading armies.
The finding, which is now being referred to as the Great Kentucky Hoard, includes genuine $1, $10, and $20 gold coins minted before and during the Civil War.
Urban legends have circulated for years about treasure buried before and during the Civil War
According to Live Science, Ryan McNutt, a conflict archaeologist at Georgia Southern University, said that the coins might have been buried before a Confederate raid carried out by General John Hunt Morgan in the summer of 1863.
At the time, Kentucky was declared a neutral state. Citizens were reportedly wary of their funds being stolen by the Confederacy, which led some to believe people may have buried their wealth in the ground for safekeeping.
Since the 19th century, treasure hunters have sought to unearth the gold they believe was hidden in the Civil War. The New York Times shared archival reports describing how people unearthed gold in Georgia in 1884, and in Alabama and Tennessee in 1926.
Dennis Parada, right, and his son stand at the site of the FBI's dig for cvil war-era gold in Dents Run, Pennsylvania, in September 2018
AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam
In 2018, a US treasure hunter accused the FBI of covering up a possible discovery of Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania. According to The New York Times, the FBI was investigating the rural area of Dents Run, Pennsylvania, where "a trove of lost Civil War gold" was rumored to have been located. CBS reported that according to local lore, an 1863 shipment of Union gold disappeared on its way to the US Mint office in Philadelphia.
However, the FBI asserted that the 2018 dig came up empty, leading the rumors of buried Civil War gold to remain just that: rumors. According to CBS, a court-ordered release of government photos, videos, maps, and other documents appeared to confirm the FBI's claim.
In 2018, a US treasure hunter accused the FBI of covering up a possible discovery of Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania. According to The New York Times, the FBI was investigating the rural area of Dents Run, Pennsylvania, where "a trove of lost Civil War gold" was rumored to have been located. CBS reported that according to local lore, an 1863 shipment of Union gold disappeared on its way to the US Mint office in Philadelphia.
However, the FBI asserted that the 2018 dig came up empty, leading the rumors of buried Civil War gold to remain just that: rumors. According to CBS, a court-ordered release of government photos, videos, maps, and other documents appeared to confirm the FBI's claim.
The Kentucky coins have already sold, and the entire collection could rake in more than $1 million
A coin from the Great Kentucky Hoard.
Courtesy of Certified Collectibles Group
Surprisingly, despite reportedly being buried in the ground for 160 years, nearly all of the coins are in mint condition. A single gold dollar from the collection was valued at roughly $1,000.
One type of coin in the collection, a gold Liberty double-eagles coin minted in 1863, could be worth anywhere from a few thousand dollars to up to over $380,000 at auction, depending on their condition and when they were minted, according to The New York Times.
The total confirmed value of the hoard is unknown, but the Times estimates it could be worth upwards of $1 million given the number of high-value coins found.
The exact location where the coins were found, as well as who found them, has not been shared publicly. However, a video shows the moment when the unidentified man made the historic discovery.
Surprisingly, despite reportedly being buried in the ground for 160 years, nearly all of the coins are in mint condition. A single gold dollar from the collection was valued at roughly $1,000.
One type of coin in the collection, a gold Liberty double-eagles coin minted in 1863, could be worth anywhere from a few thousand dollars to up to over $380,000 at auction, depending on their condition and when they were minted, according to The New York Times.
The total confirmed value of the hoard is unknown, but the Times estimates it could be worth upwards of $1 million given the number of high-value coins found.
The exact location where the coins were found, as well as who found them, has not been shared publicly. However, a video shows the moment when the unidentified man made the historic discovery.
In a short clip posted to YouTube by GovMint, the coin dealer charged with selling the coins, a man could be heard identifying how many coins he had dug up, calling it "the most insane thing ever."
"This is what every treasure hunter dreams about and this man lives it," one commenter wrote.
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