In my best-selling book, American Coin Treasures and Hoards , the "Jackson Hoard" was discussed. This brief account is reprinted for you, and should you enjoy the story be sure to call our publications department to order your personal copy of American Coin Treasures and Hoards!

"In the mid-1980s a glass jar filled with gold coins is said to have been unearthed in Jackson Mississippi (or Tennessee) .¹ Land was being graded in preparation for the building of a parking lot (said to be the greatest of all civic improvements and at the same time the nemesis of interesting old buildings). A bulldozer dug up a glass jar filled to the rim with glittering gold cons, mostly from the Charlotte and Dahlonega mints. Dealer Jeff Garrett reported that "the workers all jumped, and the coins were scattered among several individuals. I had the opportunity to examine many of the pieces and they were all of very high quality."

Apparently, the finders of the hoard wanted to keep all information confidential. Today, apart from a few coins that have come on the market now and then and which have been said to have come from Jackson, little is known. Among the coins was a rare 1856-D quarter eagle."

The preceding commentary prompted John Dannreuther, Memphis dealer, to give some interesting details on this treasure trove, which are reproduced herewith. Obviously, this is material for a first-class mystery!

"I should have told you what I knew about the hoard in Jackson, Tennessee. There is much more to the story.

"A few years ago a bulldozer unearthed a hoard in Jackson. The site was on municipal property and was at a place where the president of a Jackson bank had lived in the 1850s. Coming to light were about $4,500 face value in gold coins including 100 1853 Philadelphia Mint quarter eagles and 10 1858-O $10 pieces, among other things. I arrived in Jackson four days after the discovery and was able to buy quite a few coins, but many had been sold before then.

"The mystery part is that in 1858 a bank in Jackson had been robbed, the cashier killed, and the robber ran off with $8,000 in loot, including $4,500 in gold coins. It was presumed that he escaped to distant parts. The murder and theft was never solved and the coins were never recovered.

"Now comes the information that the coins were found where the president of the same bank must have buried them!"

¹ Information from James C. Gray, letter, August 13, 1996. As is so often the case with treasure finds, actual facts are scarce. This led to an inquiry to Jeff Garrett, who responded on September 5 and 6, 1995, with recollections and suggestions for further investigation. One source suggested the find might have been in Jackson, Tennessee.

Q. David Bowers has been in the rare coin business since 1953 when he was a teenager. The author has served as president of the American Numismatic Association (1983-1985) and president of the Professional Numismatists Guild (1977-1979), is a recipient of the highest honor bestowed by the ANA (the Farran Zerbe Award), was the first ANA member to be named Numismatist of the Year (1995), has been inducted into the Numismatic Hall of Fame (at the ANA Headquarter in Colorado Springs), is a recipient of the highest honor bestowed by the Professional Numismatists Guild (The Founders' Award), and has received more "Book of the Year Award" and "Best Columnist" honors given by the Numismatic Literary Guild than any other writer. He has has written over 40 books, hundreds of auction and other catalogues, and several thousand articles.