World · North America · 4 hrs ago
California Couple Found 1,427 Gold Coins Buried on Their Property
In 2013, a Northern California couple found 1,427 gold coins while walking their dog on their property.
They first spotted a rusty can sticking out of the ground, then uncovered seven more nearby, all less than a foot below the surface.
The coins, now known as the Saddle Ridge Hoard, were struck between 1847 and 1894.
A coin firm estimated their value at more than $10 million, though their face value was $27,980.
Most were $20 gold coins made at the San Francisco Mint, and one coin was valued at around $1 million.
Based on the coins and the cans, the firm concluded they were buried over a period in the late 19th century, but who buried them remains unknown.
A couple in Northern California found 1,427 gold coins buried in eight rusty cans on their property in 2013.
The coins were worth more than $10 million, according to the coin firm that marketed the find.
The coins were struck between 1847 and 1894 and had a face value of $27,980.
The find became known as the Saddle Ridge Hoard.
- Who
- A couple identified as John and Mary.
- What
- They found 1,427 gold coins buried in eight cans.
- When
- 2013.
- Where
- On their property in Northern California, in an area they called Saddle Ridge.
- Why
- Not stated. The sources do not identify who buried the coins or why.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The coins in the hoard were struck.
John and Mary found the coins buried in eight cans on their property.
More than a dozen coins ranked as the finest known, or tied for finest known, in the PCGS Population Report.
- Coins found
- 1,427
- Containers
- Eight decaying metal cans
- Estimated value
- More than $10 million
- Face value
- $27,980
- Location
- Saddle Ridge, Northern California
What people are saying
a literal time capsule
We found the coins buried on a little area of our property that we call the Saddle Ridge
I saw an old can sticking out of the ground on a trail that we had walked almost every day for many, many years