The ‘Great Kentucky Hoard’: how a farmer found 700 coins from the Civil War in his field

For one Kentucky farmer, a routine day in the field turned into a brush with buried history. While digging on his land, he struck metal – and not just a horseshoe or rusty tool, but a cache of over 700 coins dating back to the Civil War. Most of them were gleaming gold and you can hear the excitement in his voice.

The find – now nicknamed the “Great Kentucky Hoard” – includes hundreds of $1 coins and dozens more in $10 and $20 denominations, all minted between 1840 and 1863. According to coin certification company Numismatic Guaranty Co. (NGC), the collection is 95% gold coins, many in strikingly good condition for having spent over 150 years underground.

This discovery “is hard to comprehend”

Jeff Garrett, a go-to man for U.S. coinage, was brought in by NGC to deal with the discovery.

“While I’m always excited when someone calls asking for advice about a rare coin discovery, the opportunity to handle the Great Kentucky Hoard is one of the highlights of my career,” he said. “The importance of this discovery cannot be overstated, as the stunning number of over 700 gold dollars represents a virtual time capsule of Civil War-era coinage, including coins from the elusive Dahlonega Mint. Finding one Mint condition 1863 Double Eagle would be an important numismatic event. Finding nearly a roll of superb examples is hard to comprehend.”

What makes the hoard so valuable?

These 18 examples of the 1863-P $20 gold Liberty coin – one of the rarest of its kind – minted before “In God We Trust” was added post-war in 1866, can each fetch six figures at auction.

But beyond the gold and the dollar signs, the story begs a deeper question: why were these coins hidden in the first place?

Was this a panic burial during the Civil War?

Experts suggest the answer lies in the summer of 1863. Kentucky, though officially neutral during the war, was deeply contested ground. A Confederate General launched a chaotic raid through the state in June and July that year. His men stole horses, cut telegraph lines, and raided banks and stores.

It wasn’t uncommon for wealthy residents to bury valuables in response. “It is entirely possible this was buried in advance of Confederate John Hunt Morgan’s raid,” said Ryan McNutt, a conflict archaeologist at Georgia Southern University, in an email to Live Science. Kentucky legends abound with tales of panic burials.

What happened to the Great Kentucky Hoard?

It’s fair to say that archaeologists are somewhat disappointed that they were not included in the dig, something that can reveal plenty about our history. Instead, the coins were authenticated and sold through dealers like GovMint.

Under current U.S. law, landowners aren’t required to notify archaeologists if they find historic material on private property. That means unless a farmer or developer voluntarily reaches out, artifacts often go straight to market without expert examination.

Andy Salzberg, linked to NGC, described the find as an “extraordinary discovery which can be deemed as a truly exceptional occurrence in a lifetime.”

Thoughts are that Kentucky’s soil may hold further secrets. The state straddled a fault line of Union and Confederate influence, and Civil War lore runs deep in its fields. Burials like this one – quick, secretive, unrecorded – were common in 1863. What’s uncommon is finding them, but as a story like this is shared, no doubt Kentuckians will pay closer attention when their shovels strike something that sounds a little heavier.

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