For those of you asking, I'll give a synopsis of the type and location-type found at. But as for a pix of all of them grouped together, I only have 3 of them currently in my possession (long story). But I do have computer pix files I will someday assemble together. I'd even have to look at the pix to refresh myself on the exact coin's dates too. But in the meantime, here's a rough list. They're all found in CA.
1) 1880 S $20 found Dec. of 2004, was my first gold coin. Found at a stage stop.
2) 1873 S $20 found after storm erosion on the beach.
3) 1847 $10 found at a military camping spot (but it had other stuff going on at the spot, so not sure of the exact reason it was amidst the reales and early seateds from this location).
4) $5 from a demolition site at an old rodeo grandstands.
5) $5 from an oldtown sidewalk demolition tearout.
6) $5 from an oldtown demolition project.
7) 1835 $5 from the same location as #3 above
8) $5 from an traveller spot/church site
9) $5 from a beach storm erosion
10) This 1849 D $5 on this post just found (stage stop/traveller site)
11) an 1829 British Sovereign found at a stage stop/store site.
12) 1914 $2.50 from after beach storm erosion.
13) $1 from after beach storm erosion
14) $1 from an oldtown district turfed park.
So even though I've been detecting for 35+ yrs, they've all come from just the last 18 yrs. The closest in succession I've ever found any, was about a week apart. That was the $20 and the $2.50 from the beach (a week of stormy big swells in the winter of '97 el nino storms had us on the beach every day, for 10 days straight
). They seem to be found more often on the west coast, for some reason. I know several guys out here with 1 or 3 or 5, etc... A hunting buddy of mine has 8 or 9 so far. But back east, for some reason, even the hard-core guys (that come in with the colonials, seateds, busts, etc...) have a hard time even getting 1 or 2. Thus for some reason, they turn up more on the west coast. Perhaps because the general immigration-movement trend, was east to west, all during the 1800's. And those larger denomination coins were probably only pulled out for larger purchases (getting ready to put a down-payment on property, or buying a horse, etc...) AND IF YOU GOT READY TO TRAVEL and were thus needing to carry/bring your lifesavings with you. Then .... you might put them into the high denomination coins, in the era of no paper checks, credit cards, wire-transfers [not easily accessible anyhow], etc.... Thus seems they get found in traveller and stage-stop type locations more often than other places. Another better potential site is certain military outposts paid in gold coins (not sure if the same can be said of CW era military, but it is said of the indian wars/westward-ho era outpost military).
