Archaeologists Find Old Gold Coin Worth $45,000 in Latrine at Construction Site

   

Archaeologists don’t expect to find gold in the middle of a downtown city, but that’s exactly what they did find.

Main Plaza is the historical center of downtown San Antonio. Texan construction crews have been working in the area for months in revitalization efforts for the Main Plaza Redevelopment Project. The area is the oldest part of San Antonio and designated a historical site.

To ensure history is preserved or properly uncovered, archaeologists are on hand at the site to look for and recover artifacts during the construction. A few days ago, they hit pay dirt in the form of an old gold coin.

The gold coin is dated 1855 and was actually discovered in what used to be a latrine trench. The coin has apparently been appraised and is valued at $45,000.

For an excellent video account of this story, including a very brief showing of the discovered coin, watch the embedded WOAI.com video, Historical Gold Coin Found At Downtown Construction Site.