Hackney gardeners dig up hoard of American gold coins

[Neil]

A valuable hoard of American gold coins has been unearthed in an east London garden — one of Britain's most curious treasure finds.

Buried hoards are discovered every so often, but their Anglo-Saxon, Viking or Roman owners were themselves interred long ago. Whoever hid the 80 coins from the 19th and early 20th centuries may be alive. Why they chose the garden of a residential block in Hackney is a mystery.

Archaeologists more used to deciphering which Roman emperor is depicted on a coin have been taken aback by the find — gold $20 “Double Eagle” pieces dating from 1854 to 1913 and minted mostly in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Estimates put the value at hundreds of thousands of pounds. The coins, so large that each one weighs 33 grams, go on show at the Museum of London tomorrow. {Please note thats 4 times the weight of a sovereign! Neil}

They were uncovered by two residents who decided to do gardening with a couple of friends. A spade hit something hard. Expecting to remove a brick or a rock, they found themselves staring at glistening gold. One finder, interested in archaeology, alerted the Museum of London, which contacted the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum.

Scheme head Dr Roger Blandtold the Standard: “There is a huge mystery about who might have buried the coins. It's wonderful to speculate. Who buries so many gold coins?”

Today Inner North London coroner Dr Andrew Scott Reid, announcing the find, said the original owner had until next spring to come forward. The finders are remaining anonymous and the find's location is not being released to discourage false claims. An ill-gotten gain has to be possible and police records are being checked.

If the coins are declared Treasure, they will become Crown property and will be valued. Hackney Museum wants to acquire them and the money paid would be split between the land owner and the finders.

[Val Beechey]

Wow I've dug a few gardens in my time and the best I ever found was a forged George111 and a Cartwheel penny. Just proves where there's muck there's money. Look after those roses, you never know.

Val

[Trys]

Wow, bet there's quite a weight of gold there - Gold is currently at $1375 per ounce!! What confuses me is why could these coins be declared treasure? I thought they should be more than 300 years old to qualify as treasure.

[geordiefred]

Now thats the sort of gardening I wouldn't mind doing, Iv heard of green fingers but not gold fingers lol 

[Al.Thepastfinder, ( Alan )]

it don't look as though they have been declered treasue yet Trys,  they maybe trying for it though unless it a procedure they have to go through

[Al.Thepastfinder, ( Alan )]

The coins will qualify as Treasure under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996 and thus the property of the Crown, if the coroner finds that they have been buried with the intent of future recovery.
 the hearing is on Feburay 11th next year
Alan

[Mark]

Iv'e heard of people burying sovereigns of the same date just before WW1 as the government tried to make people hand in their gold to pay for the war effort, but dollars    They would certainly fit the time period.  Perhaps an American living in Britain at that time buried them and was killed in WW1?  Maybe  , but I get the feeling we will never know for sure, and yes, I too was under the impression that any given hoard had to be over 300 years old to qualify as treasure 

[Al.Thepastfinder, ( Alan )]

 I was thinking the same Mark,  perhaps he stashed them for safety to retrieve when its safer,  then got killed in the war.

 But the treasure act do say, that " Gold and Silver objects that are clearly less than 300 years old will not be treasure UNLESS the finder has reason to believe that they may have been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery at a later date " so this is what the inquest will have to decide,   i think it will be classed as treasure myself,
Alan

[Mark]

Well, if we are correct Alan, then yes I can see the coins being classed as treasure as most hoards were buried with the intention of recovery, although I recall a similar case in the papers not too long ago but with a hoard of sovereigns buried just before WW1 which were found by two women and were not classed as treasure and were subsequently sold; hence my confusion.   I hope the museum acquires the coins though, even though they are not very old, they are still an interesting piece of social history. 

[Al.Thepastfinder, ( Alan )]

 well the museum seems to want them  so it may just swing it,
 they can still be classed as treasure,  but if the museum don't want them they can disclaim them Mark,  handing them back to the finders,

 a guy i'm in touch with in the states told me that his fathers mother.s son moved to and worked in the states,  he used to send her cash over in gold coins,  she didn't spend them but kept them untill years later when he came home,   a simular thing could have happened here too,  but she died maybe after hiding them cos of the war, ,   he's heard of a few like that who used to do it,
 well see how it goes then hey,
Alan

[Al.Thepastfinder, ( Alan )]

 here's  abit more about it in a bit deeper detail.

http://finds.org.uk/news/stories/article/id/197

Alan

[bymatt666 (byron)]

that's a very interesting story......i wonder how far the museum of london is from the british museum as R.A.R.E. have a bus trip to the BM in december...i'd love to see those coins.... .....byron