Jump directly to the Content
Jump directly to the Content

Sermon Illustrations

Home > Sermon Illustrations

The Largest Buried Treasure Find in America

The largest buried treasure find in America, known as the Saddle Ridge hoard, was discovered in February 2013. A couple who owned the property were walking their dog in the morning. They spotted what appeared to be a rusted portion of a can and decided to unearth it. The rusted and deformed can was unusually heavy as if it were filled with iron or lead. The can was so heavy that while taking it back to their house, the lid of the can cracked open and revealed glistening gold coins! Not the sort of thing that you stumble across on the average day!

After that first can, the couple went back to the site to dig up the land in search of more cans filled with coins. Eventually, they unearthed a total of eight cans throughout their property on Saddle Ridge. After their discovery, the couple protected their find by hiding it in an old ice chest, then burying it under a pile of wood.

The hoard has a total of 1,411 gold coins with a total face value of $27,980. The actual value of the coins has been estimated to stand at a whopping $10 million dollars. The secret origin of the largest buried treasure find in America remain a mystery to this day.

Possible Preaching Angle: God also has surprising hidden treasure which only the diligent can find. The kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13:44), godly wisdom (Prov. 2:3-5), and the Word of God (Jer. 15:16) are waiting to be discovered by the earnest seeker.

Source: Neil Patrick; “The Saddle Ridge Hoard – is the largest known discovery of buried gold coins that has ever been recovered in the US,” The Vintage News (7-28-16)

Related Sermon Illustrations

Man Discovers 1930s Trove of Money in His Driveway

Rich Gilson and his wife, Suzanne, purchased a house in Wildwood, New Jersey, about four years ago, and they have been working on additions and renovations to the home during that ...

[Read More]

Searching for Elusive Treasure

Last summer, 53-year-old Jeff Murphy was hiking in Yellowstone National Park when he disappeared. Park investigators found his body on June 9, where Murphy had fallen 500 feet from ...

[Read More]