Gold Found on Crescent Beach

Two young beachcombers made the find of the century on Crescent Beach in early January this year.

While strolling along the sandy beach, admiring the seashells and driftwood, one of the youths saw something shiny in the sand. Picking it up he noticed that it was not tarnished and seemed rather heavy for its size. Closer examination revealed some sort of cross stamped on one side while the other side was worn smooth. The youths poked some more along the beach and found six more spread out over about 200 feet.

They took them all to a coin shop and the coin shop owner about had a cow. With some research he established that they were Spanish doubloons. He determined that they were minted in the early 1700s, possible in South America. They are 22 carat gold and weigh about 26.66 grams. They sell on the coin collector market for between $2,500 to about $4,500 each. The record sale is for over $400,000.

The youths, who choose to remain anonymous, were ecstatic, and have returned to the site several times looking for more. T0 date, none have shown up since.

The youths plan on selling most of the coins to pay for college, new cars, down payments for houses and expensive toys. Their parents are encouraging them to invest wisely, keep most of them for now and perhaps contact a professional broker to help auction them at the highest price.

While collecting driftwood is prohibited on the beach, nothing in the rules seems to prohibit keeping gold coins. A rush is expected. Be sure to only park in designated parking areas.