PCGS Slab Forensics - Debunking Forrest Fenn

ilmcoins

Over the years there has been a lot of hype about the Forrest Fenn hidden treasure chest with $2 million in gold and jewels. I was watching a show about it that showed a photo that Forrest Fenn took of the treasure prior to hiding it. I noticed a PCGS slab at the back of the chest that was partially covered.

I am curious if we could uncover the coin in the slab and see if it has come on the market? There are many that claim that either the chest was never hidden or that he recovered it years after he hid it.

The certification number was conveniently covered up.

Hemispherical

That’s where I left it.

PerryHall

Looks like a PCGS rattler slab with a 1904 double eagle.

kbbpll

There is a "62" between the nuggets. 9045 is the code for 1904 DE, and I see "0904" possibly on the slab. So if it's a 1904 MS62, that narrows it down to one of 63,298 coins.

BStrauss3

Looks like a stack of rattlers

Timbuk3

Nice !!!

ricko

Sure would be a fun treasure hunt... Thought about doing that a few times....just never made the commitment... Cheers, RickO

Hemispherical

@BStrauss3 said:
Looks like a stack of rattlers

Agree x2. Two stacks of slabs.

ilmcoins

I would be happy just finding the gold type set !!

RogerB

Was the Forrest Gump's older, younger brother-sister?
Where's the box o' chocolates?

CaptHenway

A picture shown on the national news showed a circ. $20 Lib. And a Maple Leaf and a bunch of common looking stuff.

Namvet69

What about all those gold colored rocks cluttering up the box? Peace Roy

oih82w8

What is that modern gold piece, reverse showing, in the upper right hand corner which is still in it's capsule? 1984 Olympics?

messydesk

@oih82w8 said:
What is that modern gold piece, reverse showing, in the upper right hand corner which is still in it's capsule? 1984 Olympics?

Looks like it.

LanceNewmanOCC

@messydesk said:

@oih82w8 said:
What is that modern gold piece, reverse showing, in the upper right hand corner which is still in it's capsule? 1984 Olympics?

Looks like it.

the time frame may not work out but it reminds me of the gold kennedy halves.
.

keets

I think it's a BS propaganda thing, do the Math, using his "contents weigh another 22 pounds (10 kilograms)" from the story:

10 kilograms = 10,000 grams
10,000 grams / 31.1 grams = 321.54340836 troy ounces
321.54340836 troy ounces X 1,704.23(current gold spot) = $547,983.92283

so that means if the suspect chest was filled with 10 kilograms of .999 fine Gold right now it would be worth a little over $500k, nowhere near the $1 million claimed by Fenn.

ms70

Great. Now these have to be resubmitted for special cert labels.

messydesk

Here's the clue to the location:

mr1931S

I have a signed copy of Fenn's book coming. Should be receiving it early next week. At this point, I'm thinking Fenn hid the treasure metaphorically. Be the first to demonstrate that you have discovered the metaphorical location and actually gone to it, Fenn will "give title to the gold."

BLUEJAYWAY

^Now you tell me, after I wasted all that money on batteries for the detector.

ricko

It would have been fun to search for it.....Considered it, but never had the opportunity....Cheers, RickO

MrEureka

Cool that it was finally found!

mr1931S

Fenn got the box back? I was watching a story where an appraiser was saying the box alone is worth some $15K. Why would the finder give the box back to Fenn? Presumably the box was mailed to him by the finder from "back east."

Tragically, five people died while searching for Fenn's treasure. New Mexico police eventually asked Fenn to call the search off because there was so much death associated with it. Then the treasure was announced by Fenn as found.

The book,"Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir" is really nice and it is signed. Nice addition to my treasure hunting book collection. If I had received and read Fenn's book prior to making the contest (in another Fenn treasure thread) guess I did as to where the treasure was hidden I would have made a totally different guess.

Oh well. Live and learn.

mr1931S

Fenn was an AF fighter pilot in the Vietnam war. Within 8 to 9 degrees of magnetic declination from map north is where Fenn hid his treasure. Northeast of Santa Fe, either in northern New Mexico or southern Colorado.

jabba

If you look close there’s another slab under there looks like another rattler

jabba

Actually if you look at the big photo and zoom in looks like a stack of them! Probably common gold $20 I would have love to find that

Namvet69

Maybe Fenn is gonna refill the box with skittles or something else interesting and rehide it. Peace Roy

mr1931S

People died looking for The Lost Dutchman mine too. Thankfully, hunting for it in the Superstition Mountains wilderness of Arizona is no longer allowed. Hunting for it was banned a number of years ago. It's a good thing.

logger7

It reminds me a little of Poe's "gold bug". If you look closely you can see the reflection of the certification number off the shiny gold nuggets! lol! Not enough clues there to get within reasonable distance for a search imo. 3D and climbing/hiking trails with a treasure hidden possibly covered by foliage, and searching without a metal detector. No way is that likely with a skilled search IMO, without teams of cryptologists, brainiacs and decoding super computers with powerful instinctual knowledge of how the hider operates.

mr1931S

Not enough clues there to get within reasonable distance for a search imo.

One can get some insight into how the hider Fenn operates by reading his book. The poem with its clues is not enough information to find the treasure, imo. Buy the book before you look for the treasure in other words.