A couple have hit the jackpot after they discovered $10m (£6m)
of mint condition gold coins buried underneath an old tree in their back yard.
The face value of the 1,427 coins, which date from 1847 to 1894, is around
$27,000 (£16,000) but some of them are so rare they could sell for nearly $1m
(£600,000) each.The husband and wife made the find inside eight rusted metal cans as they walked their dog on their property in Gold Country, California, and now plan to sell most of the coins online.
David Hall, co-founder of Professional Coin Grading Service, which authenticated the find, said: "I don't like to say once-in-a-lifetime for anything, but you don't get an opportunity to handle this kind of material, a treasure like this, ever.
"It's like they found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."
The couple have chosen to remain anonymous, but have loaned some of the coins to the American Numismatic Association for its National Money Show in Atlanta on Thursday.
