Gold coin hidden in the DC Metro area...
DCW
Posts: 7,624 ✭✭✭✭✭
https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2016/12/on-the-hunt-for-william-mckinley-gold-dollar.html
Anybody see this or participate?
Bonanza Coins has hidden a 1916 McKinley gold coin somewhere in the Washington DC Metro area and are listing clues on their Facebook page each day. I thought that was kind of neat. Wish I lived closer do that I could join the hunt!
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
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They do those treasure hunts all over the country. Some people get super involved with them like big time. I believe there was even a law and order show about 2 treasure hunters finding a body or something while looking for treasure
HAPPY COLLECTING
Julian is a character. I met him at 2016 NATIONAL MONEY SHOW Dallas, last March.
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Way to go Julian!
Very cool. Good for Julian. I live in the area so I am on the trail (on paper) now. No sharing.
Tom
Wow sounds like fun.
The Forrest Fenn of the East!
One of our leading numismatic authorities, on the board of experts. Too bad we don't see him often here.
Fun idea and a way to boost public interest.....Pokeman for coins
Agreed. Good way to get non coin collectors out there and interested in the hobby
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
good marketing
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
That's awesome!
"...the coin that is the subject of the hunt is circulated, with a jewelry mount on the edge, and is valued at approximately $300." Maybe a little optimistic, but it's a freebee. Our club coin show has a 1/10 oz gold piece raffled to keep the public around for the 3 pm drawing, definitely an attention grabber.
Coin was won yesterday by a dad and his twin sons. Dad actually saw the contest here on the forum. Hopefully, he will post.
I firmly believe in numismatics as the world's greatest hobby, but recognize that this is a luxury and without collectors, we can all spend/melt our collections/inventories.
eBaystore
Neat
Thanks for a fun afternoon, Julian!
The Treasure Hunt
Dec 13, 8:12am
First Clue to win a 1916 McKinley gold dollar:
A hidden 1916 McKinley Gold Dollar is near a place named after the ruthless oil baron in the U.S. television series Dallas
Processing the clue: Although I did not watch the series, the image of Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing readily came to mind.
Answer: Ewing
Dec 14, 8:47am
Second clue:
A 1916 William McKinley Gold Dollar is hidden in the same State that once was called home to both The "Bullets" & the "Colts".
Processing the clue: As a long-time Maryland resident, the answer to this clue was a “slam dunk”. Wes Unseld anyone?
Answer: Maryland
Dec 15, 9:09am
Third clue:
Sometimes when things are not in plain sight, nothing left nor right, one might look to the sky but gold is often found underneath
Processing the clue: Pretty obvious directional clue. I must say that the thought of buried treasure flashed through my mind.
Answer: Look underneath
Dec 16, 7:37am
Fourth clue:
A 1916 McKinley Gold Dollar is hidden in the County with the same name as this British "Spartan General."
Processing the clue: I had an inkling “Montgomery” was the answer but confirmed it with a quick search on Google.
Answer: Montgomery County
I saw the above clues on Bonanza Coins’ Facebook page after reading the OPs link to the Coin World article. After digesting the clues, I decided to head out to the Blair Ewing Center in Rockville, Maryland, a city in Montgomery County to look underneath some things. After being snubbed by my teenage daughter on my offer to go treasure hunting (she “had plans”), I headed to my car with my twin 8-year-olds who were more than game for the adventure. During a stop for gas, I refreshed Julian’s Facebook page and noticed Clue #5 had posted 23 minutes earlier. The race was on.
Dec 17, 11:33 am
Fifth clue:
A 1916 McKinley Gold Dollar is hidden Northwest of Washington, DC within an unincorporated area that is centered at: 38° 59'N 77° 7'W.
Processing the clue: With adrenaline on the rise, I tried to enter the coordinates into several websites on my smart phone to no avail. I became all thumbs trying to figure out the proper syntax to search latitude and longitude by degrees and minutes into the search fields. Growing frustrated with my anxious boys wrestling in the back seat, I phoned a friend with a laptop to help with my plight. My mind turned back the pages to map skills and geography lessons trying to solve this puzzle. Hmmm. Minutes can be converted to decimal form by dividing by 60. More waiting on the line for my “not quite so pressed for time as me” friend to enter the long strings of numbers into the search page of an unseen webpage. “For the third time, no, the gold coin is not in China”, I growled. “How about changing the sign to a negative on the longitude?”, I suggested trying to spin the globe 180 degrees in an instant. A pause. Then, there it was:
Answer: “7447-7499 Radnor Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817”.
[Little did I know at the time that if you paste the coordinates from the clue as written into Google, the same address shows up. Oof.]
Radnor Rd, Bethesda. About 20 minutes from the gas station. The clock is ticking. I entered the address into the map function on my phone and raced around the area with my index finger. Not seeing anything of interest, I entered “Ewing” and “Bethesda” and found Ewing Drive. There were a few bus stops on Ewing Drive. Was the coin in a bus shelter or under a trash can? Was it in a park? More virtual searching on Ewing Drive and then I saw it. There was a cross street on Ewing Drive: McKinley Street. We were looking for a McKinley gold commemorative coin! The coin was at the intersection of Ewing and McKinley in Bethesda, Maryland!
We drove to the area and passed a small roundabout at the 3-way intersection of Ewing and McKinley in a quiet residential section of Bethesda. We parked and walked over to the intersection. The grassy area of the roundabout had a few shrubs and a bench, I think. Then, I saw a more obvious target: a USPS blue mail box. A structure in a public place. My boys ran over to the box and looked underneath it. Nothing. Then, Justin instinctively got on his hands and knees on reached underneath the mail box. He tore off a piece of cardboard and a plastic bag that was taped to the underside of the mail box. Our Eureka Moment! We found the treasure!
We drove down to Bonanza Coins to claim our prize. The boys got a hearty congratulations from Julian.
We spent about 30 minutes in the shop and the boys added to their golden booty with a few circulated foreign currency notes.
Thanks for sponsoring the contest Julian!
We had a blast.
Congrats! I looked at the area on street view yesterday but did not see the mailbox up the road for which like you noted, is an obvious choice. Well done and nice dollar!
What a great story!
Multiple levels of awesomeness!!
Nope, and not! Two classes of men, Forest hid over 1 million in coins, and artifacts to promote the "thrill of the chase," and he did so with the burden of a terminal illness. Forrest believed in sharing the "thrill" without any want, or, need- that means with no thought of profit, or, publicity...he wanted to inspire others to seek, find, and enjoy their discovery. This was his swan-song, not an opportunity to profit, or, provide a means to gain publicity. Forrest is the man....
Wow... what a great story.... and super detective work.... Congratulations... Cheers, RickO
Nice recount of your successful hunt, thanks.
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Bad transactions with : nobody to date
That's awesome! Welcome to the forums XF45!
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Thanks to both Julian and XF45 for coming here to fill us in on "the rest of the story." A most entertaining thread allowing all of us to share in the fun.
add two new young coin collectors
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
What a well written description of the hunt! Really cool for your boys also!