"Top 10" U.S. Gold Coins (Introduction)

The Core of Most Caches and Troves

Coins of all sorts have long been at the core of most treasure troves and caches. Here in the United States recovered coin caches have included all silver, all gold, and mixed troves that contained copper (pennies, large cents), nickel (“V” nickels, “Buffaloes”), and/or gold and silver U.S type coins.

Treasure Hunting

This said, you really don’t need to recover a large treasure trove of coins (although that’s perfectly fine!) to “hit it big.” As many treasure hunters (I include coin and beach hunters here as well) already know, sometimes a single coin can be worth more than an entire cache.

Rarity and Condition

Gold coins in particular hold a special appeal to treasure hunters because of their intrinsic precious metal value. With gold at over $1,250.00 per troy ounce as I write this post, it doesn’t matter if a gold coin is a common mint date or if its condition is beat all to hell. You’re still going to fill your pockets with cash.

However, as a treasure hunter you (or a partner) should have a good working knowledge of numismatics, or the study of the uses, value, and collection of money. Most importantly, you should have a clear understanding of how rarity and condition can affect the value of a given coin, whether it’s struck from gold, silver, copper, or base metal.

Don’t Get Ripped Off

I suspect that many of you who began (or continue) your careers as coin or beach hunters already have more than just passing knowledge about coin rarity and grading issues. If you don’t and are out there treasure hunting without this knowledge, I highly recommend you educate yourself in this regard.

Otherwise if you do hit a nice coin cache, you’re liable to get ripped off when it comes time to sell all or part of it. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen time and time again to treasure hunters who were either too lazy to be bothered or thought they knew more than what they truly did. Please don’t be one of those.

I Digress

But I digress somewhat. The true purpose of this series of posts is to bring to your attention what I consider to be the “Top 10” U.S. gold type coins in terms of value.

So hang tough out there. I’ll have details for you on each gold coin starting with my next post.

Good hunting until then.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “I Guess I’ll Just Pay a Fine and Go to Hell”

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-guess-ill-just-pay-fine-and-go-to.html

© J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

"I Guess I'll Just Pay a Fine and Go to Hell"

An Anonymous Comment

Since there are parallels in treasure hunting, I thought this post deserved to be in "Treasure Trove Dreams" as well:

I just received (August 26, 2010) the following anonymous comment on my "Bedrock Dreams" post page titled " Suction Dredging Halted in California: Bad News for All" (http://goldbedrockgold.blogspot.com/2009/08/suction-dredging-halted-in-california.html) which was posted last year (August 11, 2009). This simple and direct comment is more eloquent than the writer himself probably knows and I feel it important that I bring his words to your attention:

"If I can't find a job to provide for my family but I have the skill and equipment to provide decently through suction dredging, I own mining claims, and I am respectful to nature, then I can't say that I can let anyone stop me. So I guess I'll just pay a fine and go to hell. But at least my family is warm and fed."

"Oh, by the way, if you want to save fish maybe you should quit fishing! Thanks for listening..... call me crazy."

As I replied in my return comment, this miner is not crazy. No, not at all. If anything he expresses quite lucidly what so many of us in the gold mining community already feel.

The Real Crazy Ones

The real crazy ones are the radical environmentalists, the agenda-driven "special interests," and the spineless, money and power grubbing politicians in California and elsewhere. They are the ones who need their frigging heads examined, not this dredger or any of the rest of us for that matter.

I don't know about you, but I am getting pretty damn sick and tired of those who continually seek to force their will and their "world view" upon myself, other miners, and the American people at large. Miners are, above all, independent spirits who don't take kindly to having their personal liberty, their livelihood, their avocation, or their love of all things mining tampered with. Especially by thieves, clowns, and self-serving hypocrites.

Stand Against the Madness

The frustration this dredger's words express and his determination to provide for his family either wholly or partially through his mining activities is typical of that independent spirit I just mentioned. Read his words once again. Is he begging for government hand outs or wishing and hoping that "Big Brother" will make things right?

Hell no. All he asks is that he be allowed to do what he can to provide for his family through the hard work he knows and loves. That's all, nothing more or nothing less. Most importantly, he appears willing to stand against the madness and take his licks in the process:

"So I'll just pay a fine and go to hell."

You aren't the one headed for hell my friend. Nope. No way, no how.

The ones who'll need the ice water dispensers are the idiots and stooges that put you (and the country at large) in this predicament in the first place.

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Gold in North Georgia: the Sugar Hill Treasure (Conclusion and Updates)

(Crudely struck Spanish gold coin similar to those described in the Sugar Hill Treasure legend.)

Vein or Lode Gold?

In my previous post we left Tatum and Findley in the not-so-friendly hands of the Spanish who were busily engaged in gold mining activities at a soon-to-be-disclosed location in north Georgia. Actually, the Spanish themselves weren’t doing the mining…they were using slave labor in the form of local Indians and, of course, Tatum and Findley.

(Note: I suspect that these mining activities were vein or lode operations as opposed to placer or streambed gold recovery operations. Why? Simply because the Spanish were well known in the New World for enslaving indigenous populations and forcing them into “hard-rock” mining activities. In very few instances have the Spanish been documented as using slave labor in gold placers. They were always after bigger game….in this case, the source[s] of all that placer gold. J.R.)

A Volley of Musket Shots

The work that Tatum and Findley found themselves engaging in was both brutal and physically dangerous. As each day passed Tatum became more and more agitated and committed to the idea of escaping but Findley was wary that a successful escape could be made under the circumstances.

Finally Tatum could take it no longer. As he and Findley labored side by side Tatum dropped his pick and made a dash for the nearby woods. A volley of musket shots rang out and Tatum dropped, dead before he hit the ground.

Gold Ingots and Gold Coins

Findley’s predicament did not allow for much grief. As each day passed he grew weaker under the hard work and maltreatment he was experiencing. Still, he remained observant of the activities around him. The free-milling quartz gold ore he and his Indian counterparts were extracting was not crushed, processed, or melted down locally.

Instead, he and the others were forced to carry it in crude baskets to a smelting site some 5 miles away. The smelter was located on a small island in the middle of a creek. Here the Spaniards melted the gold down into crude ingots or dores or struck gold planchets into crude coins bearing the Spanish cross.

Open to Debate

What happened next is open to debate depending on which version of this treasure tale to believe. However the general scenario is that the Spanish were finally driven out in a series of Indian attacks. Findley himself managed to escape his captors during once such event.

Gold Prospecting Books
Metal Detectors

In later years Findley stated that from hidden locations nearby he watched the Spanish dismantle their mine and make sure that no traces of it could be found. He also said that the Spaniards buried large quantities of gold coins nearby before they fled the area.

Directions to the Treasure?

The following directions to the general area of the Sugar Hill Treasure have been passed down over time:

“Go 2 miles north of Suwannee Creek in Gwinnett County. There you will find an island in Beaver Run Creek that matches the description given. The Spanish gold mine was about 5 miles south.”

Pretty specific information, isn’t it? But I have my doubts about this one. Why is it no one has found the Sugar Hill Treasure and recovered all that gold?

Or did Findley die a wealthy old man?

Good hunting out there.

UPDATE: The following info relating to the Sugar Hill Treasure was sent by Georgian Frank P:

"For your information in copy, the Google Earth (download Google Earth then open file) file of the USGS Mineral Resource Data System contains some reported gold mines around the place discussed in your article. However, nothing like huge deposits."

"Even if this doesn’t help, at least it lends some credibility to the tale."

"Regards,

Frank P. "

(Thanks for providing this info Frank. J.R.)

And this just in from Patrick H.:

"I just read your blog post about the old Spanish gold mine that supposedly existed in the area. I've done a little research and have conflicting information in regards to the location. The information I have suggests that the mine is two miles due north of Suwanee Creek and that the smelting operation
was 5 miles south of the mine on an island on Beaver Run Creek."

"I have personally located what appears to be an old mine that is approximately two miles north of Suwanee Creek. However, I'm not even sure where Beaver Run Creek is located to verify its proximity. I'm sure that there are many small old mines in the area, but this one fits the bill. It's definitely older and the entrance is still partially covered."

(Thanks for adding valuable info to this treasure legend Patrick. J.R.)

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “Gold in North Georgia: the Sugar Hill Treasure (Part 2)”

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/08/gold-in-north-georgia-sugar-hill_19.html

© J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Gold in North Georgia: the Sugar Hill Treasure (Part 2)

(A stretch of the northern Oconee River near Hurricane Shoals.)

Two South Carolinians

As I mentioned in my previous post on this topic, the legend of the Sugar Hill Treasure is one of the more persistent tales in the Peach State. How it first came to be told is still a subject of debate but the story goes something like this:

Gold Panning Kits
Mining Equipment

In the early 1700s a pair of South Carolinians entered north Georgia to search for precious metals. They had heard from travelers that the Spanish had a number of small mining settlements along the Chattahoochee River and at other locations in the area.

(Note: These two remain unnamed to this day but for the sake of readability I will call one “Findley” and the other “Tatum.” J.R.)

Hurricane Shoals and the Oconee

Tatum and Findley eventually crossed a stretch of the northern Oconee River at a spot known as Hurricane Shoals and then followed a well-used trail to the Chattahoochee River itself. They both knew that the Spanish were, at the very least, very ill humored when it came to trespassers in and around their mining activities, so the pair moved downstream as carefully and quietly as possible.

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They made it downriver to a location where a large creek entered the Chattahoochee and then began hiking upstream along the creek. After traveling some distance, Tatum and Findley grew tired and decided to rest a bit before heading farther upstream.

Angry Spaniards

Just about the time the Tatum and Findley dozed off they were rudely awakened by booted kicks and no few pokes with the business end of muskets. They now found themselves at the mercy of a group of angry and very heavily armed Spaniards who quickly bound their hands and set them on a forced march at the business end of loaded muskets.

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The Spaniards forced the two unfortunates back downstream along the creek. Once they approached the Chattahoochee River once again the Spaniards herded their captives south some 4-5 miles. Tatum and Findley suddenly found themselves at a location where the Spanish were obviously engaged in extensive gold mining activities. Here the two men were put to work mining gold alongside a number of local Indians who had been essentially enslaved.

There’s more to come, so stay tuned.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “Gold in North Georgia: the Sugar Hill Treasure (Part 2)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/08/gold-in-north-georgia-sugar-hill.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Gold in North Georgia: the Sugar Hill Treasure (Part 1)

(Location of Gwinnet County, Georgia and the community of Sugar Hill.)

The Focus of an Intriguing Treasure Tale
Gwinnet County and the community of Sugar Hill can be found in North Central Georgia, not all that distant from the gold mines and auriferous streams of the nearby Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains and the once thriving gold boom town of Dahlonega. The Sugar Hill area has long been the focus of a intriguing treasure tale that contains both a lost mine and a buried cache of substantial value.

Gold Pans
Gold Panning Kits

In many of its iterations, the Sugar Hill Treasure legend revolves around silver but I personally think not. This region of Georgia has never been known for much silver production but it has long been noted for significant amounts of another, even more precious metal…gold. In fact, the Dahlonega, Georgia area was the site of the first major “gold rush” in the Unites States in 1828, just barely beating out the rush to the Old Placers District south of Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1829.

(Note: I myself prospected and mined the Old Placers for nearly two decades. They lay a scant 14 miles south of my home. J.R.)

So in my telling of this treasure tale, gold (and lots of it) will be the focus of the story. That works out well for all of us in the end anyway. After all, there is a huge difference between today’s spot silver price ($18.02 per troy ounce) and that of gold ($1215.00 per troy ounce).

What Were the Spanish Looking For?

Another interesting aspect of the Sugar Hill Treasure is how prominently the early Spanish factor into it. But then we must remember that the early Spanish were exploring, colonizing, and mining precious metals in far-flung locations across the length and breadth of what is now the United States of America.

Hernando De Soto himself led the first Spanish expedition into this part of Georgia in the early 1540s. What were the Spanish and Hernando De Soto looking for so far from home? I’ll give you two guesses….one starts with a “g” and the other with an “s.”

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De Soto was intrigued to find many of the local Indians using crude wooden bowls that the Spanish called bateas to pan for gold in nearby rivers and streams, including the Chattahoochee River. Not long after the Spanish pitched in with fervor themselves, establishing a number of small mining camps or settlements that remained in existence until the early 1700s.

Setting the Stage

All of this sets the stage for one of the most enduring Georgia treasure legends that’s ever come down the proverbial pike. Yet, as far as I can determine, no one has ever located the lost mine or the buried trove that are the centerpieces of this amazing tale.

This may mean that an astounding amount of raw gold as well as gold coins and bullion may still lay untouched near Sugar Hill. Can I direct you the exact spot? No, nor would I if I could…after all I’m a miner and treasure hunter too. But I can give you directions to the general location of the trove.

Interested? Then stick around and read my next post on the Sugar Hill Treasure.

Good hunting until then….

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If you liked this post, you may want to read: “More on Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 1)”

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-on-treasure-signs-and-symbols_06.html

© J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

More on Treasure Signs and Symbols: the Circle (Part 1)

(Circle symbols, top to bottom: Spoked Wheel; Star of David [Mogen David]; Horizontal Oval; Crossed Ovals; Equal-Armed Cross; Crescent; Basic Circle.)

One of the Most Frequently Used Symbols

The circle is, by far, one of the most frequently used universal signs or symbols out there. Circles (and variations of the circle) are very common in all cultures, particularly in a religious context, but their specific meanings can vary significantly.

Treasure Hunting

When it comes to treasure hunting, circles and circle variations appear quite frequently and their interpretations are just as plentiful. As a veteran (or even aspiring) treasure hunter you should be familiar with one of the most prevalent circle symbol variations, the "sun" or "sun with rays" treasure symbol. I won't go into a discussion of that particular treasure symbol since there are plenty of others who have already done so.

Opinions and Body Parts

But what I do want to discuss are the 7 circle symbol variations shown above. Remember, treasure symbol interpretations are much like opinions and you know what they say about opinions, right? They're similar to certain body parts.

OK, to get back on track you first need to understand that are essentially endless circle symbol variations that can factor into the "decoding" of potential treasure troves or caches. But I have neither the time nor the room to cover all those here, so let's just take a closer look at the 7 circle symbols pictured above:

Spoked Wheel: The area in question is divided into equal parts, all radiating outward or being joined at a central point. Treasure may be at the exact center or in a specific quadrant, particularly if that section is depicted differently than the rest (shaded in, for example). If an arrow or serpentine/snake sign or symbol is used next to (i.e., left-right, up-down) the spoked wheel you should travel or search in that direction. Additionally, the spoked wheel symbol can mean that treasure was transported to, from, or across this area.

Star of David: Sometimes also known as the Mogen David, this circle symbol variant can be found quite far back in history and is well known as a Hebraic religious symbol. The Star of David doesn't crop up very often in American treasure hunting locations, but it has turned up frequently enough to be noteworthy. The location of any treasure trove or cache can be determined through "triangulation" using 6 distinct or visible reference points. These points can be anything, including geologic formations, other signs or symbols, altered trees, etc. If you come across this symbol look very closely for these other reference points.

Horizontal Oval: This is a deceptively simple circle symbol variant which typically can be interpreted as "treasure buried beneath" or "treasure buried within this area." Look for additional signs or symbols to the sides of this one if you come across it. If you find additional signs they will often provide additional "information" on the nature and location of this particular trove or cache. Be aware that the horizontal oval can also refer to a body of water (pond, lake, stream, etc.)

There's more to come on the remaining circle symbol variations in a future post. As always, good hunting until then.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "More on Treasure Signs and Symbols: Alchemical Symbols"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-on-treasure-signs-and-symbols.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com