In the early fall of 2010, two gardeners looking to turn over soil in a rear yard in Hackney and in preparation for some planting discovered a nice collection of 80 gold coins.
As buried treasures go, the finding of gold coins buried in the earth is not all that weird. After all , stories of buried treasure hidden deep in the earth to keep it from burglars are quite common. But this opportunist find definitely falls into the peculiar category since the coins themselves were minted in the US.
Oddly enough, the gold coins, known as 'Double Eagle ' pieces, were minted on both the west and east coasts of the United States. Almost all of the coins were minted in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
A Double Eagle is an American gold coin with a denomination of $20. The coins gold content is 0.9675 troy oz and a double Eagle was worth $20 utilizing the then official gold cost of $20.67/oz. Double Eagles are made of 90% gold (0.900 fine = 21.6 kt) and a 10% copper alloy.
The dates on this discovery of gold coins cover 1854 to 1913. The coins are in top condition and believed to be quite valuable, potentially reaching sales values of as much as 6 figures if they're sold as one lot.
The unusual find was reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Rumours flew wildly regarding the origins of the coins. At last, Mr. Sulzbacher, a descendent of the initial owner of the gold coins, came forward in time to claim the find. The coins were awarded to Mr. Sulzbacher as a direct descendent of the original owner, a Mr. Martin Sulzbacher.
Unusually, 4 or 5 decades earlier in 1952, an identical find of 82 gold coins was discovered on the same property. Those gold coins were also traced back to their original owner, a Mr. Martin Sulzbacher. It is said that he hid the coins for safekeeping in the early 1940s. Mr Sulzbacher, being a person of Jewish origin, feared a German occupation would result in the confiscating of the gold coins if he kept them in his safe.
The Author Robert Irwin is an antiques collector and contributes his knowledge and experience to antique-marks.com. A passionate thirty years of collecting rare coins and good quality Royal Worcester porcelain has added a wealth of knowledge and a keen interest in the antiques market to his wide range of interests.
