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Could newly discovered gold coins be the haul stolen by SF Mint employee in 1901? [GOLD COINS]
DAILY MAIL UK ^ | 02/26/14 | STAFF

Posted on 02/26/2014 7:49:29 PM PST by BunnySlippers

The mysterious haul of gold coins discovered by a Northern California couple while out walking their dog – and valued at $10 million – may well be a previously undiscovered bounty that an employee of the San Francisco Mint was convicted of stealing in 1901.

The couple, who haven’t been named, stumbled across the haul of 1,427 rare, mint-condition gold coins, nearly all dating from 1847 to 1894, buried in the shadow of an old tree on their Gold Country property in February 2013.

The face value of the Saddle Ridge Hoard, as they’ve called it, added up to about $27,000, but some of the coins are so rare that experts say they could fetch nearly $1million apiece.

The couple went public with their amazing discovery on Tuesday, and treasure enthusiasts have been quick to suggest that the coins could be the same ones stolen by Walter Dimmick, an employee of the San Francisco Mint in the late 1800′s, reports Altered Dimensions.  Dimmick began working at the mint in 1898 and by 1901 was trusted with the keys to the vaults – until an audit revealed a $30,000 shortage in $20 Double Eagle coins, six bags in all.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; History; Local News
KEYWORDS: afterthegoldrush; california; coin; coincollecting; coins; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; gold; goldbugs; goldcoins; numismatics; saddleridgehoard; treasure
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Because of the estimated value of the whole lot I suspect that it is probably 500 less 73 = 437


101 posted on 02/27/2014 7:46:54 AM PST by Uncle Chip
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To: BunnySlippers

Should have kept their mouths shut. That’s what I would have done.


102 posted on 02/27/2014 7:55:25 AM PST by Bon of Babble (Don't want to brag...but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school!!)
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The couple, who haven’t been named, stumbled across the haul of 1,427 rare, mint-condition gold coins

Did this couple not do any research before publicizing their find???

Why would they provide so much detail about their find???

And why give the exact numbers of coins found and that they are all gold coins???

103 posted on 02/27/2014 8:03:46 AM PST by Uncle Chip
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To: the OlLine Rebel

You are correct!!! What I should have said is that most US gold coins from civil war to 1933 had face values at the rate of $20/oz gold within


104 posted on 02/27/2014 8:57:18 AM PST by dennisw (The first principle is to find out who you are then you can achieve anything -- Buddhist monk)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Guess I read it wrong. I thought it was 1500 that was stolen.


105 posted on 02/27/2014 9:34:03 AM PST by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Absolutely certain. See if you can order the book from your local library.

For now, Google “Israel Switt Double Eagle” or “1933 Double Eagle.”


106 posted on 02/27/2014 12:10:04 PM PST by Scoutmaster (I'd rather be at Philmont)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

I inherited 2 morgan dollars from 1896. Have no clue what to do with them. Since I need money being unemployed, I was thinking of selling them to a pawn shop but I’m afraid I will be taken. Also your story reminds me of my father’s friend from Mexico. She came to the US to take her daughter to Disneyland in Los Angeles. Well she was using JFK half dollars for paying things there. She told my father everyone was happy when she was using it for transaction. I think I pretty know why they were happy. Some of those half dollars were from 1964..ouch. Anyway I have inherited my father and mother coin collection including mine that I started and have no clue what the hell to do for fear of being taken.


107 posted on 02/27/2014 2:00:59 PM PST by Patriot Babe
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To: 21twelve
Unless the gov’t could argue that the crime of “receiving stolen property” had just occurred.

That charge requires knowledge that it was stolen and intent, doesn't it? Lawyer FReeper, please weigh in.

108 posted on 02/27/2014 2:09:03 PM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Yea, which is why they think they were stashed at the time they were minted generally. If they’d been taken from general circulation they’d be worn. These were like they got picked up at the bank their first time out. That’s why I speculate they were, at least in the early cases, possibly “free coined”, i.e. someone obtained gold either in trade or prospecting/mining and subsequently took it to the mint for trade to gold coin.


109 posted on 02/27/2014 5:00:34 PM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: ErnBatavia

Now THAT is cool.

I blew a big score a couple years back at a bank up the street. I got some cent rolls to look through and cull the copper and one of the rolls contained brilliant uncirculated wheats, like right off the press looking. I didn’t want to run back up right away (got em on lunch trip) and when I went back later the teller told me they’d sent the rest they had in for processing to Brinks and that all the rest had “those shiny pennies with the wheat thingies on back showing at both ends”...


110 posted on 02/27/2014 5:09:16 PM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: Patriot Babe

Morgan dollars are quite common. Only a few years/mints are very valuable, and that depends on their condition. It’s doubtful they are uncirculated, so your max value may be $175 for an excellent San Fran. Otherwise a rough estimate is $35. You’re not going to be royally gyped. Except any dealer is looking to sell it, so they’ll undercut just to make a profit.


111 posted on 02/28/2014 12:24:48 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Technological progress cannot be legislated.)
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To: Axenolith

But my point was that often bags of new coins will sit for years in mints and banks. It is possible that happened here. Don’t forget some were from other mints.


112 posted on 02/28/2014 1:13:51 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Technological progress cannot be legislated.)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Oh, understood, but it is very unlikely that -S mint coins would be stored in California in that time period with the ability to write contracts specifying method of payment. A lot, particularly higher denomination gold and later the Morgan dollars, did sit in banks and the mints later as they were the facilitation of the “will pay to the bearer on demand” that the paper notes displayed.

It may be that the east coast minted coin[s] came out with the man, or an associate. It would be interesting to see from the archival perspective who came out in that period that possessed the capital and drive to be able to set aside that kind of money then. I’d be willing to bet that between the location (currently secret) and the wealth, that the stasher was relatively well known and has some kind of historical “footprint”.


113 posted on 02/28/2014 6:04:50 PM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: BunnySlippers

+1 to the Freeper who noted “shut up” when this find was first announced.


114 posted on 03/04/2014 9:26:31 AM PST by CPONuke
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Note: this topic is from 2/26/2014. Thanks BunnySlippers.

115 posted on 04/30/2018 5:06:02 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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