Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-12-26
FOUND IN A CHEST.

more than thirty years, John Nc
Donald, of 404 north TweDty-second
street, Philadelphia, recovered on last
Sunday afternoon, a collection of 663
old Easlsh and American gold coins,
valued at upwards Of 5000.
VINO bid the treasure is complete
mystery. A romance OF colonial life
and adventure might be woven out OF
the incident, for most OF the coins ante
dste the Revolutionary War. A few
Of the gold ipieces were stamped By
the fret coin presses set up 10 this
country, but most of them are Eoglish
guinness, bearing on Ooe side the
medallion head OF GEORGE Ill, and on
the reverse side the English coat Of
arms.
John McDonald's mother bought the
valuable chest third OF q century ago
10 q Philadelphia secondhand store.
She paid only q few pennies for the
plain lumber box, and had it placed in
the cellar OF her home, where it was
used ss a potato bin until recently. IL
was four feet long, by two wide and
three deep.
Last Sunday, Mr.. Mcdonald went
into the celler and cleaned out quan-
tiiy OF odds and ends which had &C.
cumulated 10 the course OF several
years. Since his mothers death slight
changes and resdjustments iD domestic
affairs had deprived the old chest OF lis
usefuluess. II seemed to be in the way
and still Mr.. Mcdonald thought is
might be useful come time, and had de-
cided not to destroy it. He called his
brother into the basement and asked
bis assistance in moving the old potato
0in ION ono corner OF tbe cellar 70 an
other.
sway don't you chop the old thing
up ao1 burn il?' the brother asked.
"Oh, it might come in handy" said
Mcdonald"
"No, it won't; outi up" was the re-
swell, I'll do It," aud he started to
work.
81 took up the axe, and my
brother went back upstairs," McDon-
aid said yesterday in telling the
story to reporter for The
North American. II smashed the
sides out and then went for the bot
tom, which seemed to be remarkably
thick. After bad splintered one OF the
planks several coins few out snd rolled
over the basement floor. l stopped,
picked them up, looked at them care
fully. saw that they were apparently
old coins, and they appeared to me to
be gold.
"Then l got better light, and ex.
smined the bottom of the chest care
fully. l found that It had q false bot.
tom. You may believe me that went
o work with will then, and l was not
long in removing the inner bottom. !
took out out thirty-two small bags of
coin. The bags were made of Irish
linen which had once been strong, but
which had dechyed with time and fell
to pieces in my hands. Each bag con-
tanned from ten to twenty coins, there
being FIVE hundred and sixty.three In
all.
"I called my wife and brother and
the rect OF the folks into the cellar, and
we gathered the coins up and took
them upstairs. We examined them,
and my wife thought they must certain
ly be some worthless old medals, but /
felt sure that they were gold.
On Monday had them examined by
three experts, and each one pronounce
ed them genuine old gold coins. sold
thirty-two of them yesterday for 1912,
and have stored The rest 10 safety de-
posit vault. Several men who are in
formed as to the value of old coins have
estimated their value OF not less than
$4,000. / think it's pretty nice Christ
mas present. don't your"
Mr.. Mcdonald loaned the North
American two OF the English guiness
for reproduction. One bears the date
of 1894 and the other 1898. The White
Horse, emblem of the ancient House OF
Hanover, is included in the ooat-of
arms on both coins, IS are also the
Aour-de-lis OF France. The workman
ship Is but little inferior In most re-
speots to the coinage OF today. The
milling, however, is rather crude. Il
is slightly irregular, and the cerrations
iudent the inscriptions.
Mr.. Mcdonald said yesterday that he
had not as yet decided what use he
would make OF his unexpected fortune.
lyon may say for me-" he remarked
however, ''ihat won't bust the steel
trust, or snything like that"
The lucky man is 40 employe 10
the Scbuylkill Arsenal.-l Philsdelphis
| NoFlh American