Treasure Trove Of Previously Buried Gold Coins Hit The Auction Block Tonight

Have a million dollars to spare? Then you might be able to get your hands on a coin from the mysterious $10 million buried treasure unearthed in California last year.

The more than 1,400 rare 19th century, mint condition coins, valued at $10 million, hit the auction block tonight, USA Today reports.

Several of the coins are expected to fetch more than $1 million each and will be available on Amazon, in the collectibles section.

One of the coins, a 1874 $20 Double Eagle, will be auctioned at the old U.S. mint in San Francisco and proceeds will go toward the building’s upkeep. Another 60 or so coins will be part of an exhibit at the building.

The tale of the mysteriously stashed coins sparked many imaginations after being found by an unidentified couple hiking on their property last year.

After noticing a can sticking out of the ground, they investigated. Inside they found a hoard of gold coins. Based on the age and condition of the coins, experts beieve that the original owner must have built the hoard over a period of years during the 19th century, then left it behind. The face value of the $5, $10, or $20 pieces is about $27,000.

At one point, an amateur historian speculated that the massive hoard of gold coins could have come from a 1901 inside theft at the United States Mint. If the theory proved fruitful, the couple would have had to surrender the entire find to the government. Luckily for them that idea was quickly debunked by a Mint spokesman.

‘Greatest buried treasure’ in U.S. to be auctioned [USA Today]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist