Apparently, something valuable from the past has turned up. See link. If it's gold intended for pay for Union soldiers, it would have to be gold coins. Don't think pay would be in gold bars, dust or nuggets. So if it's gold coins, probably liberty head coins minted in late 1850's or early 1860's. Possibly $1 and $3 gold coins too. Could be as much as two tons of it. Might really expand collector population of some issues. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-the-fbi-just-find-it/?utm_term=.9b4e71f7e589 Cal
It said the gold had to go to the Phil Mint first... if it was coins Im not sure why they would have to go back to the mint?
That's a good point. Strange for 2 tons of gold bullion to be traveling by wagon in NW PA though. Maybe shipped via Great Lakes to Erie and then intended to go by wagon and rail to Philly? Still seems strange. Cal
This is a new series on the history channel . They say it's in the bottom of Lake Michigan . http://www.ghosthuntingtheories.com/2018/03/the-curse-of-civil-war-gold-history.html
You might be right. After the battle at Gettysburg, Meade's army moved southeast, i.e. toward Washington DC. The wagon of gold could have been headed to the mint in Philly or could have been met by mint officials south of Philly. Once the gold was counted or perhaps exchanged, it could have gone on to Meade's army to pay the troops. I'd like to know more about why a wagon of gold (coins or bullion) was in NW Pennsylvania in the first place. Where did it originate? Cal
There's one thing that people fail to mention when these theories pop up about lost Nazi gold, lost Confederate gold and lost Union gold. If there really was gold, and it was hidden, there are people who knew about it and went back and got it.
You are very possibly correct but I don't think that is guaranteed. Look at that hoard of double eagles which was found in California a little while back.
Depends on how many knew about it and what happened to them. Many ancient coins are found in pot hoards. These are clay pots with coins in them that were buried in fields or forests. The owners forgot about them or where they were hidden, died without leaving directions, or were forced to flee. Some have been large enough that it is unlikely that only one person knew about them originally. Cal
Isn’t this exactly the scenario that each of us dreams of? I get childlike giddy at the thought. Being the first person in a century and a half to lay their eyes on a magnificent hoard like that? Thanks for this post. I’ll be following this on the edge of my seat.
This is the original article that was linked to in the one you posted - https://apnews.com/6c8e84db8c714d2d89bc129e36d4a598 It tells a bit of a different story - like historians doubt there ever was any lost gold shipment. Or maybe there was 1300 lbs of gold, or maybe even 2600, but certainly not 2 tons of it ! This is the problem with legends like this, there are always many different versions. And modern writers, well they tend to "change" things a bit. Like the time that CNN reported that there were 1.9 million 1894-S dimes minted, and then many other websites picked up that CNN story and repeated it on their own websites ! When I asked them why they would ever do such a thing without first verifying the facts, their answer was that they considered CNN a reliable source. Unh huh - and so's the Washington Post and AP and and and .........
Well, pity sakes, Doug! What's a few zeroes? ..... Well maybe five or six starts to be significant. Now if we get into vote counts ...... not going there. Cal
Ahhh heck.... If my second Cousins great grandmothers brothers yardhand passed down a story of a lost gold dollar somewhere out on the south forty I would be out there digging dusk till dawn. It’s all about the thrill of the chase!
Yes, I realize this isn't always the case. And new discoveries are made all the time. Anything is possible. I just meant that the times that gold actually was buried, not everyone died, people knew about it and came back and got it. I was going to mention the Lake Michigan thing (not that I believe it) but Rick already posted it. And that is even a show I will watch. I love treasure hunting stuff.
Loggers have been doing deep water harvesting of ancient trees in the Great lakes for a very long time. I'm surprised this was not picked up on much earlier with the underwater cameras they use. But another thing, George Washington and his troops passed through my way in the Berkshires in Ma. one winter. Washington and his officers stayed at a place called the Inn On The Green. The troops encamped about a half mile away in the nearby woods. It was a tough winter and several men died and were shallow buried with the intention of picking them back up on the trip home. It never happened and eventually someone found the graves along with some artifacts left behind. It's completely plausible that if only a couple or few men were involved in a robbery, that they might have eliminated each other with the intention of reclaiming their booty by only one. And that one may have died before that was possible. Slaves were also known to bury their meager valuables with intentions of someday returning but were either recaptured or died. So, anything is possible.
