As my readers may know, last February I opened a coin shop and metal detector store in Early. In some respects, this seems to be an odd pairing of unrelated ventures. However, let me explain the solid connection between the two hobbies.
First of all, this area of Texas has two kinds of treasure tales that one hears fairly often.
The earliest treasures are those that were “lost” by the Spaniards that explored much of the Southwest. If you’ll remember, the Spanish’s main goal, after converting the natives to Christianity, was to find all the gold they could find. There are stories of old Spanish mines, old Spanish smelters for melting gold and silver, and reports of both gold and silver bars, all found if not in Brown County, then within the surrounding counties. For example, the legendary lost San Saba mine, near Menard, is not more than a hundred miles from here. The legend of Jim Bowie’s mine says that his mine wasn’t very far from Brown County.
These Spanish treasure caches, supposedly, were caused when the Comanche Indians got too close to the Spanish expeditions. They were hidden to prevent them from being stolen. Then, the caches were lost or forgotten to be searched for centuries later. Nearly a hundred years ago, Texas historian J. Frank Dobie wrote Legends of Texas in two short volumes that record many of these stories.The other predominate local treasure legends concern the Knights of the Golden Circle. This group started before the Civil War. Mostly from the South—and Texas was a hotbed of their activities—this was a group that wanted to preserve the confederacy and start a new nation that included Cuba and much of the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast, a “golden circle”. They cached gold and silver to be used someday to this end. They also paid “sentries” to keep a watchful eye over these caches. Sentries were paid by buried mason jars containing silver or gold coins that they would dig up. I have seen TV programs where the searchers have actually found some of these after deciphering the KGC treasure symbols carved into rocks, caves, and creek banks.
The story is that Jesse and Frank James spent some time living on the Salt Creek in Brown County at the home of “Bloody” Bill Anderson, infamous Civil War guerilla. All three of these men belonged to the KGC, as did other early Brown County settlers. Keep your ears open around old-timers for stories of KGC treasure and treasure signs not too far from Brownwood!
Of course, there are valuable and interesting things that were lost that can be found with a metal detector. Several years ago, an old-timer approached me at a coin show. He handed me a key date 1885 Liberty “V” nickel in good condition. He asked me what it was worth; after looking it up, I told him about $700-800. “That’s what I thought,” he said, and as he walked away, he added “I found it metal detecting.”
Recently a young man brought in a tiny crudely made silver coin and asked me to research it. I took it to a big coin show and learned that it was a 1681 half reale coin from Bolivia, worth $75 in the condition it was in. It would have been worth another $100 if not for the fact that it was a sea salvage item. Now, please tell me how this shipwreck coin ended up buried under a tree, in a hole with an 1841 dime, on Blanket Creek near Early, to be found by a metal detectorist?
Don’t forget, for coin collectors, there is treasure in your pockets, while for metal detector fans, those treasures may be hidden away right under our feet! Coin collectors with a metal detector have the best of both worlds!
Want to learn more about coin collecting? The Brown County Coin Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month, at 6:30 pm, at the Principally Coins and Metal Detectors, at 3002 Early Blvd, in Early. There’s probably at least one club member who shares an interest with you and would guide you in the basics. Get involved in coin collecting!
We hope to see you on June 10 for our next meeting. Call me at 325-217-4129 or Bill Cooper at 325-642-2128 for more information.
