300 morgans found during construction

[OZ_IL]

Saw the story posted on a newsgroup, I would be happy if I found one

http://www.amarillo.com/stories/062708/new_10643262.shtml

Snip:
The Case of the Missing 300 Silver Dollars, or What In The World Is Something Like That Doing In A Place Like This, likely will never be solved. That they were actually uncovered is astonishing enough, but to find out why 300 Morgan silver dollars from 1887 in mint condition were under a foot of hardened soil on former Amarillo Mayor Jerry Hodge's property, well, let your imagination be your guide.

Our story begins June 11. Plumbers were digging a trench to run utilities for a pool house and swimming pool on property Hodge had purchased adjacent to his home on Oldham Circle in Amarillo. Randy McMinn had a backhoe about a foot deep when on one particular scoop, mixed in with the dirt, was found a bunch of dingy little objects.

Whoa, time out. Work came to a halt, and closer inspection revealed them to be coins - old coins from 1887. Careful digging found a lot more in some kind of fine plastic, what Margaret, Hodge's wife, described as sort of an old version of Saran Wrap. Lest anyone think plastic is a recent invention, plastic was used as early as World War I.

 

[dglfi]

Thanks for sharing. Certainly is nice to know there's stuff like that to be found still!

 

[sectshun8]

Great story, thanks for sharing OZ!

 

[talosiv]

Gives me hope. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Carol K]

The most likely theory is that someone, probably during the Depression, was afraid of banks and buried some valuable coins and may have died without telling anyone of them.

To me, this is probably what happened. Too bad there wasn't some gold coins in there too. Old man Wolfin did it!

But where would a farmer get 300 Morgans all dated the same year? That's a lot of money for back then.

 

[~Alan~]

So who gets the coins, or the reward from them ? Over here, the proceeds would be split between the finder and the land owner, if it were declared treasure and a museum wanted them.

 

[grinsebring]

Lol

Well Alan, you see we do it differently over here. This is about how it will go.
The landowner will sue the finder for the coins, the finder will sue for a finders fee plus damages to his backhoe, not to mention the torn muscle in his back from retrieving the coins. The previous owner of the land will caim ownership, followed by the county state and municipal governments for a share. When all is said and done a couple lawyers will divvy up the coins and then charge all claimants 200 bucks an hour for their time. We call it the 'American way"
....Gil

 

[SeabeeRon]

Well Alan, you see we do it differently over here. This is about how it will go.
The landowner will sue the finder for the coins, the finder will sue for a finders fee plus damages to his backhoe, not to mention the torn muscle in his back from retrieving the coins. The previous owner of the land will caim ownership, followed by the county state and municipal governments for a share. When all is said and done a couple lawyers will divvy up the coins and then charge all claimants 200 bucks an hour for their time. We call it the 'American way"
....Gil

You called it Gil!! But it does not keep me from thinking.....why oh why did this not happen to ME??!!?

 

[geodawn]

That would be a pleasant find!

I wonder if they went back over that area with a detector? If that was found there, I'd be curious to check the whole area.

 

[Blackbeard1717]

Great find worth about $6000.00 today unless there are key dates or CC