K.G.C. Treasure: Baltimores "Rinky-Dinky-Doos," & Their Treasure Find from 1934

[jeff of pa]

K.G.C. Treasure: Baltimores "Rinky-Dinky-Doos," & Their Treasure Find from 1934

The largest documented K.G.C. treasure find yet! The amazing but true story of how two Baltimore boys in 1934 unearthed 5,000 gold coins hidden by a secret Confederate organization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. The Baltimore chapter of the K.G.C. fiercely opposed President Lincoln, and was involved in plots to bring about Lincoln's demise. John Wilkes Booth, who lived just four blocks from the treasure site, was one of the K.G.C.'s most ardent and outspoken members.



Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 01 Sept. 1934.






https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2

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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 02 Sept. 1934.





https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2

 

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[jeff of pa]

[h=1]Treasure in the cellar brought more trouble than riches[/h]

The Great Baltimore Gold Rush of 1934 and the woeful tale of its two instigators is the subject of a book, Treasure in the Cellar: A Tale of Gold in Depression-Era Baltimore by Leonard Augsburger, published by the Maryland Historical Society.










https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2008-09-07-0809050089-story.html

 

[jeff of pa]

https://dalneitzel.com/2017/03/05/boys-find-gold/

 

[KANACKI]

Hello Jeff Awesome story of a cache discovery! However I cannot see how its connected to KGC? (sure it was'nt a discovery made by climate change! )

Good to insight into the usual shi. fight over such discoveries and the people around it. And their fate. There must be other newspaper articles on this story.

Well done!

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

The US Mint has a story on the Hoard.

One of the most famous stories of coin hoards in American numismatics is the Baltimore find, a cache of at least 3,558 gold coins, all dated before 1857. On August 31, 1934, two teenage boys were playing in the cellar of a rented house at 132 South Eden Street, Baltimore, where they found over 3,500 pre-1857 gold *coins buried in the cellar.

The story is that the boys formed a club, the "Rinky-Dinky-Doos," and were busy digging a hole in the floor of the cellar to bury their secret club papers, playing cards, dice and poker chips. While digging, their shovel struck something hard, so they reached into the hole and pulled out a $20 gold piece, and then another, and another. So then they really started digging! What the two boys had finally unearthed in two separate pots were 3,558 gold coins that dated from the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s, many in Choice & Gem State condition.

When all was said and done, the two youths were awarded $6,000, though the money would not be available to them until they were 21 years old. Only one of the two boys collected the reward, the other died just before his 21st birthday of pneumonia. In 1935, the 3,558 coins, divided into 438 lots and were auctioned off on May 2, 1935 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, realizing a sale of $20,000. The 3,558 gold coins had a face value of $11,200, and sold for $20,000, but today, their discovery would be worth more than $10 million.

10 Million in today's value.

Love these stories Jeff especially ones I have never heard of.

Amazing!!!

Kanacki

 

[jeff of pa]

I Haven't read Knights Gold Yet so I don't know the Connection.

Yes there must be Other Clippings But the Papers I Have access to
Only list what I Posted . at least for the Year 1934.

I Did Not research into finding Follow-up stories yet, as it will be very time consuming
trying different key word combinations.

My guess, & Only a Guess at this point, the Research may have connected a Former Resident to the K.G.C. & used that as making sense

 

[KANACKI]

Here is another book on the version of events.



Awesome story Jeff.

Kanacki

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Gonna get both of 'em....

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 17 Feb. 1935.





https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 03 May 1935.



https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Boys Found Gold, Lawyers Got Rich !

The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.), 04 July 1935.




https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

AND THE THOT PLICKENS

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 04 Sept. 1935.








https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 01 Feb. 1936.





https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 15 Sept. 1934.



https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...grob&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 10 Feb. 1935.



https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...grob&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 15 April 1936.





https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...grob&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 23 April 1936.






https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...grob&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 25 Aug. 1937.







https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...grob&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[jeff of pa]

I Guess their Lawyer Earned his Share


Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 29 Dec. 1937.




https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ones&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

[KANACKI]

Thanks Jeff for the amazing update on this very interesting story. Amazing what gets posted during my nightly power nap.

Well done!

All would be treasure hunters should take a good long read of this story.

As it teaches us some valuable lessons. While boys made a valuable discovery in which they should of benefited from and give them a better life. Turned out to be curse by the greed of others. Not only by claimants but also the legal system itself.

All exploited the boys who did the rightly honest thing to report the treasure discovery and paid a very high price for that honesty. Was it any wonder the last serving boy drifted in crime after experiencing the hypocrisy of those who supposed to uphold law.

This story and cases like it shows how greed and ulterior motives fueled by that greed can destroy the lives of such finders. There is an old saying careful what you wish for? Because your greatest dream might just turn into a nightmare as it did for these two boys in 1934.

Kanacki