John W. Staggs, a farmer and father of 16 from Lawrence County, struck gold—literally—when he discovered a small fortune buried on his property.
While plowing his farm near Buddha, Indiana, Staggs noticed two silver coins glinting in the sun. Upon further digging, he uncovered an additional $7,061 in coins.
Many of the coins, some dating back to 1818, were found to be in excellent condition.
Staggs had already sold three of the coins to collectors for $1,500 but then reburied most of the treasure to protect it from potential thieves.
Source: The Indianapolis times. (Indianapolis [Ind.]), 01 June 1933.
