Photo: Nora Carol Photography / Moment / Getty Images
A Kentucky farmer has hit the jackpot! While plowing his fields earlier this year he found a trove of over 700 coins from the American Civil War era that’s now being called the "Great Kentucky Hoard."
Experts say the hoard mainly consists of gold dollars, some of them being rare $20 Liberty coins minted after gold was discovered in California. It’s believed that all the coins are from before "In God We Trust" was added in 1866 after the Civil War. Some of the historic coins could fetch as much as six figures each at auction.
Conflict archaeologist Ryan McNutt believes the coins might actually be an important historical artifact, possibly buried to prevent it being stolen during Confederate raids in the summer of 1863. Although he hasn’t had a chance to personally inspect the hoard, McNutt is grateful that the farmer decided to report the finding because when finds such as this are discovered on private land and go unreported, their historical significance is lost to time.
Source: LIVE SCIENCE