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PCGS Slab Forensics - Debunking Forrest Fenn

ilmcoinsilmcoins Posts: 525 ✭✭✭✭
edited May 5, 2019 12:50PM in U.S. Coin Forum

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.

Comments

  • kbbpllkbbpll Posts: 542 ✭✭✭✭

    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.

  • Timbuk3Timbuk3 Posts: 11,658 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nice !!! :)

    Timbuk3
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

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

  • HemisphericalHemispherical Posts: 9,370 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BStrauss3 said:
    Looks like a stack of rattlers

    Agree x2. Two stacks of slabs.

  • ilmcoinsilmcoins Posts: 525 ✭✭✭✭

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

  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 6, 2019 2:56PM

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

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,501 ✭✭✭✭✭

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

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 9,177 ✭✭✭✭✭

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

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW

  • oih82w8oih82w8 Posts: 12,442 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 8, 2020 11:15AM

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

    oih82w8 = Oh I Hate To Wait _defectus patientia_aka...Dr. Defecto - Curator of RMO's

    BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 20,130 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @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.

  • LanceNewmanOCCLanceNewmanOCC Posts: 19,999 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @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.
    .

    <--- look what's behind the mask! - cool link 1/NO ~ 2/NNP ~ 3/NNC ~ 4/CF ~ 5/PG ~ 6/Cert ~ 7/NGC 7a/NGC pop~ 8/NGCF ~ 9/HA archives ~ 10/PM ~ 11/NM ~ 12/ANACS cert ~ 13/ANACS pop - report fakes 1/ACEF ~ report fakes/thefts 1/NCIS - Numi-Classes SS ~ Bass ~ Transcribed Docs NNP - clashed coins - error training - V V mm styles -

  • keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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.

  • ms70ms70 Posts: 13,956 ✭✭✭✭✭

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

    Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.

  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 20,130 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here's the clue to the location:

  • mr1931Smr1931S Posts: 6,331 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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."

    Albert Einstein himself stated "I'm not an atheist, and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist ... I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings".

  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 9,866 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 13, 2020 8:39PM

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

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

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

  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Cool that it was finally found!

    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • mr1931Smr1931S Posts: 6,331 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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.

    Albert Einstein himself stated "I'm not an atheist, and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist ... I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings".

  • mr1931Smr1931S Posts: 6,331 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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.

    Albert Einstein himself stated "I'm not an atheist, and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist ... I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings".

  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 9,177 ✭✭✭✭✭

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

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW

  • mr1931Smr1931S Posts: 6,331 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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.

    Albert Einstein himself stated "I'm not an atheist, and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist ... I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings".

  • logger7logger7 Posts: 8,781 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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.

  • mr1931Smr1931S Posts: 6,331 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 23, 2020 8:47PM

    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.

    Albert Einstein himself stated "I'm not an atheist, and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist ... I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings".

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