You cannot (legally) enjoy the fruits of such a find within the boundaries of this country. That said, finding the where, how etc.... must be done very discretely and not on a public forum. Your only truly legal option would be to claim such a find on income taxes and stand back to watch the feeding frenzy begin. There are those who advocate always doing the right thing, the real question lies with "what is really the right thing to do." Thus very few people could honestly legitimately claim the experience to answer your question. Is it fair and just that every singal person who feels they have some sort of legitimate claim to this money be heard in a court of law ? In my opinion, NO, but again that would be just my opinion. So at great risk to my own personal safety I shall try to give you a true account of what might be in store for any such (lucky) person.
First off questions of ones own personal morals must be addressed and answered before any actions take place. You must decide ahead of time for yourself without any consultations, even with your pastor or priest what is the right thing for you to do here. Even if you decide to declare it and then donate it all to charity, the emotional fallout afterwards can be quite devastating. I.E. did I do the "right thing" Which, again, is quite subjective.
Next is the amount of value found in it's historical context worth it to keep it whole or is the main value found in another way. For instance Does your treasure reveal anything about history and can it be traced to that or any historical occurrence, Like say a treasure map penned by Thomas Jefferson and signed with his particular flair would most definitely be worth more as a historical Item than the paper or I dare say even the treasure to which it leads. Gold in ingots as previously mentioned usually comes with several marks which could make it traceable. Even straight forward cash can be traceable due to the serial numbers.
So in some cases destruction of the treasure like melting gold into small nuggets could be done but might not always be your best answer.
The way I would do this (IF I HAD A TREASURE TO DISPOSE OF). Would be to address the first two issues and then find a way to smuggle the treasure out of the country. As you may or may not know our borders are even more secure now than ever before and yet they are very porous going out rather than coming in.
Secondly I would head straight for Switzerland or the Cayman Islands. Obviously to bank my treasure.
Thirdly I would look to make a deal privately through said banks to sell my treasure.
Lastly I would set up a import export business to launder the money coming in. Although I would still face tariffs and taxes they are minuscule in comparison to the declare it and watch the feeding frenzy method.
One other option would be to enjoy the proceeds only while away over seas.
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