One of my favorite hobbies over the years has been metal detecting. I always enjoy being out in the open air hoping to find some fantastic treasure... Maybe I watched too many Indiana Jones movies as a kid! Or maybe it was The Goonies... About the best stuff I have found over the years have been a few gold items people had misplaced and I was lucky enough to find them. Hidden treasures are really everywhere in the world, the hard part is finding them. The eccentric Forrest Fenn hid a treasure of gold and jewels somewhere in the Rocky mountains around 2010 that was only just recently found in 2020, but it was a public open challenge to get people outdoors. It was a great success, it created more outdoors loving treasure hunters than there had ever been before. Most of the treasures hidden away have no maps, no X marks the spot, and finding them comes down to lots of luck and searching with a metal detector.
Today I would like to continue on with my hidden treasure series... I have published a few recently and they've been a lot of fun to research and write.
Ten years ago a couple were walking their dog on their rural land in gold country of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. There was an odd tree that had grown around a can that used to hang on it. The couple thought it was a grave marker that used to hold flowers. There was also a jagged rock on a hill nearby which the called Saddle Rock. They one day noticed a rusted can sticking out of the ground and investigated it uncovering the largest treasures find ever found in the US. Multiple cans of gold coins just buried in the earth. It turns out that the treasure had been buried ten steps from the rock in the direction of the north star. The face value of the coins was just under $30,000 US, but the numismatic value was much, much higher. It is believed it was worth in excess of $10 million US.
It was unclear who buried the treasure but many theories abound. From the notorious stage coach robber Black Bart to the Knights of the golden circle burying treasure in preparation for a second US civil war. I think the most likely scenario was some old timer who just didn't trust banks so kept all of his money hidden in cans so be easily retrieved if he needed them. I once heard a story from an old timer in New Mexico that his grandfather would bury gold coins wrapped in a cloth under an oak tree for safe keeping, he used to take him out there when he would bury another coin. But as it turned out he didn't pay enough attention, because he couldn't remember where the old oak tree was. He has been kicking himself ever since... Just another example of a treasure just waiting to be found!
Here are some pictures from the Saddle Ridge Hoard:
all-that-is-interesting.com
Just imagine digging up that batch of beautiful coins!
image: Wikipedia
forums.collectors.com
Wouldn't those look great in your stack?
Just a few examples they found in the hoard.
One of the coins along was worth in excess of one million dollars US. Here is a list of some of the hoard items from Wikipedia:
1866-S $20 Double Eagle/no motto valued at around $1 million[10]
1866-S $20 Double Eagle/with motto PCGS MS62+ (finest known)
1877-S $20 Double Eagle PCGS MS65 (tied finest known)
1888-S $20 Double Eagle (four) PCGS MS64 (tied for finest known)
1889-S $20 Double Eagle (two) graded PCGS MS65 (tied for finest known)
1894-S $20 Double Eagle PCGS MS65 (tied for finest known)
From Wikipedia
Not too bad for going out to walk the dog?
Finds like this one are the reason I still like to head out with my metal detector to try to find another hidden stash just buried away and waiting to be found. Like I mentioned people around the world have hidden away treasures for as long as can be remembered, you just need a lot of luck and some perspiration to dig one up!
The treasure finders of the Saddle Ridge Hoard never released their names or the exact location of the find, which was a very smart move. They sold off a some of the coins to pay off debts and kept many of them. Probably the smartest thing you can do if you find a massive treasure like theirs.
I hope you enjoyed my treasure hunting post, and I hope it excited people to get out and look for treasure! Just be sure to keep in mind many places restrict where you can treasure hunt anymore or even metal detect so make sure to do your research beforehand. Most of the time you'll find a lot of junk like old beer cans, rusty nails, or if your lucky a rusty horse shoe. So a current tetanus shot isn't a bad idea. But it could be you who finds the next big treasure!
If you are going metal detecting please always ask permission from the land owner before you go. Also remember that while prospecting for gold on federal land in the US is legal, if you happen onto a treasure on federal land it belongs to the government (they won't share either.) Always check into local laws about where you can and can't search and have a great time!
Please feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. Thanks for stopping by!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_Ridge_Hoard
Now if you have read this far I want to introduce my first re-blog lottery. If you write a comment and re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin for the chance to win 3 HBI units! Just one prize for the lucky winner. Contest ends 24 hours from time of this publication!
What are HBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. Each cost one Hive. They give you occasional upvotes on your posts forever, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes. You can read some more here:
Thanks to @bitcoinman and @trumpman for giving me the idea, @bitcoinman also does a daily re-blog lottery so be sure to check his page out!
I try to share daily posts many sharing silver or gold, stories of lost and found treasures, occasional odd ball posts on three tune Tuesday or one of my latest on pickling jalapeno peppers! Good luck to everyone!