HOARD INTERVIEW Q. You call this the Saddle Ridge Hoard; is that where you found these coins?

Mary: Yes we found the coins uried on a !itt!e area of our "ro"erty that we ca!! the #add!e Rid$e %: Have you lived on this property a long time and possibly passed by the treasure without spying it before? &ohn: I saw an o!d can stic'in$ out of the $round on a trai! that we had wa!'ed a!(ost e)ery day for (any* (any years+ Mary: I was !oo'in$ down in the ri$ht s"ot and saw the side of the can+ I ent o)er to scra"e so(e (oss off and noticed that it had oth ends on it, %+ Had you e)er noticed anythin$ "ecu!iar in the area efore&ohn: Years a$o* on our first hi'e* we noticed an o!d tree $rowin$ into the hi!!+ It had an e("ty rusty can han$in$ fro( it that the tree had $rown around that was ri$ht at the site where we found the coins+++ At the ti(e we thou$ht the can (i$ht e a "!ace for so(eone to "ut f!owers in for a $ra)esite so(ethin$ which wou!d ha)e een ty"ica! at the ti(e+ There was a!so an unusua! an$u!ar roc' u" the hi!! fro( where the coins were uried . we/d wondered what in the hec' it was+ Mary: It wasn0t unti! we (ade the find that we rea!i1ed it (i$ht ha)e een a (ar'er: startin$ at the roc'* if you wa!' 23 "aces towards the North #tar* you wind u" s(ac' in the (idd!e of the coins, %: Did one of you stay there while the other went for tools? Mary: &ohn used a stic' to di$ u" the first can+ We too' it ac' to the house* it was )ery hea)y+ &ohn: Hea)y enou$h that we needed to ta'e a !itt!e reather efore $ettin$ ac' to the house+ It was $ettin$ towards e)enin$ and the !i$ht was fadin$+ I said to Mary* 4Wow* this thin$ is hea)y+ It (ust e fu!! of !ead "aint+5 I cou!dn/t fi$ure out what in the wor!d wou!d wei$h that (uch+ Q. How long did it ta e you to reali!e you had something special? &ohn: Ri$ht after (a'in$ the co((ent a out it "ossi !y ein$ "aint* the !id crac'ed off and e6"osed a ri of a sin$!e $o!d coin+ I 'new what I was !oo'in$ at i((ediate!y+ I !oo'ed around o)er (y shou!der to see if so(eone was !oo'in$ at (e I had the idea of so(eone on horse ac' in (y head+ It/s i("ossi !e to descri e rea!!y* the stran$e rea!ity of that (o(ent+++ I c!a("ed the !id ac' on . I found a can of $o!d coins and I thou$ht there was a 1ero "ercent chance of Mary e!ie)in$ (e, When I to!d her* the !oo' of ewi!der(ent . her (outh was so wide o"en f!ies cou!d ha)e f!own in and out se)era! ti(es+ Q" #ere the cans side by side? Mary: Yes+ We went ac' to the site and a foot to the !eft of the first can we ro'e into another can+ In the "rocess we used a s(a!! hand sho)e! and a few coins scattered7 it was so deco("osed on!y ha!f of that can was !eft+ It was !i'e !oo'in$ at a "oc'et of coins+ Q. #hat was your first reaction when you saw these cans were full of gold? Did you feel

li e you had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? &ohn: Of course* it was a )ery surrea! (o(ent+ It was )ery hard to e!ie)e at first+ I thou$ht any second an o!d (iner with a (u!e was $oin$ to a""ear+ Mary: It was !i'e findin$ a wonderfu! hot "otato+ Q. $fter the initial discovery how did you locate and e%cavate the entire hoard? &ohn: There were fi)e (ore s(a!! cans . which rou$ht the tota! u" considera !y* and we found the !ast one with a (eta! detector+ It was a i$ day when we found that can+ We/)e "o'ed around (ore and now ha)e a sense that we found e)erythin$ that/s in the area+ Q. #hy do you thin you were the luc y ones to find this treasure? Do you believe it was divine intervention or arma? Mary: I ne)er wou!d ha)e thou$ht we wou!d ha)e found so(ethin$ !i'e this7 howe)er* in a weird way I fee! !i'e I ha)e een "re"arin$ (y who!e !ife for it+ %: How? Mary: &ohn 8ust 'new what to do . it was a !itt!e it 'ar(ic+++ 9erha"s in so(e way we were the ones that cou!d honor the coins+ Q. You have an interest in astrology; have you chec ed how the planets were aligned or what your chart said at the time of discovery? Mary: Actua!!y* I did !oo' ac' at it+ It/s )ery funny* (y chart did ta!' a out treasure* ut it was (ore a out the treasure of s"irit++++ Q. #ould you say that your &dreams' have come true? &ohn: :i'e a !ot of "eo"!e !ate!y* we/)e had so(e financia! tria!s+ I fee! e6tre(e $ratitude that we can 'ee" our e!o)ed "ro"erty+ Q. (stimates put the value of this find at over )*+ million; better than some lotteries. #hat will you do with all this money? Mary: We !o)e our !i)es as they are . I ho"e we can he!" our fa(i!y (e( ers and our co((unity and $i)e ac' so(e+ Q. #ere you ever coin collectors; did you now such coins even e%isted? &ohn: Yes I sti!! ha)e (y coin co!!ection fro( when I was a 'id+ Mary: It too' us awhi!e to $et the $uts to ;oo$!e what coins we had+ &ohn: In ter(s of the condition and )a!ue of the coins* we as a(ateurs thou$ht that the 2<==.# No Motto >?3 (i$ht e worth >@*333 or (ore . we didn/t rea!i1e it was considera !y etter than the coin sittin$ in the #(ithsonian, %+ #here did you put them and what did you do with them? &ohn: I du$ a ho!e under the wood "i!e and $ot a s!a of $reen oard to co)er it* "ut the coins in "!astic a$s* then "ut the( in a o6 inside an o!d ice chest and uried the(+ %: You du$ the( u" and re uried the(-

&ohn: Yeah the o!d.ti(ers had it ri$ht . it/s safer than in a an', Mary: We 'new a!(ost i((ediate!y that we wou!d se!! the(* ut we cou!dn/t 8ust $o to anyone . we had to wa!' that "ath rea!!y carefu!!yA &ohn: We 'new etter than to $o to any !oca! "awn ro'er with the coins to "ut the( on the (ar'et* we 'new etter than that+ Mary: What we rea!!y a""reciated was that fro( the outset* Da)id BMcCarthy of Da$in/s Inc+E )ery (uch wanted us to 'now e)erythin$ we cou!d a out our coins+ He didn/t e)er try to say* 4These rea!!y aren/t anythin$+5 He !et us 'now ri$ht away that they were s"ecia! and to!d us )arious stories a out the different dates+ One thin$ that he said that stuc' with us was the idea of honorin$ the who!e $rou"* instead of se!!in$ a !itt!e it at a ti(e o)er ti(e* e)en thou$h it is (ore ris'y for us "ersona!!y+ The history of the coins as a hoard is i("ortant+ Q" ,s there one coin that stood out in the group that you are particularly fond of? &ohn: The Dah!one$a Ha!f Ea$!e+ Mary: Yes . they a!! ha)e a certain ener$y a out the(+ Each is so uniFue . each has its own character and essence+ Q. Do you intend on eeping any of the coins as mementos from the find? &ohn: We (ay 'ee" a re"resentati)e sa("!e of the hoard+ We wou!d !i'e to ho!d onto a cross section of it so(ethin$ to !ea)e to re!ati)es when we "ass on+ Q. $re you going to -uit your .obs? &ohn: No we/re se!f.e("!oyed the eautifu! thin$ a out se!f.e("!oy(ent is that you can $o to your $ra)e se!f e("!oyed+ Q. You have chosen to remain anonymous out of concern for your family/s safety and potentially from being overwhelmed by the media. 0ut how do you thin this find will change your lives? Mary: We/re the sa(e "eo"!e we were efore* 8ust with (ore freedo( of choice+ Our finances won/t ha)e to dictate so (any of our day to day decisions+ Q. Some lottery winners have later said that such sudden wealth ended up being more of a curse than a blessing. Have the two of you discussed how you will navigate the path ahead and the potential pitfalls that might come with instant great wealth? Mary: We try not to dwe!! on the ne$ati)e+ &ohn: It wi!! e a roader "ath than the one we ha)e een on+ Mary: Money can chan$e other "eo"!e0s "erce"tion of us (ore than our own "erce"tion of ourse!)es+ Ha)e you heard the son$ y Cindy :au"er* 1oney 2hanges (verything- We don/t want that7 we don/t "!an to te!! our e6tended fa(i!y or friends unti! (ore ti(e $oes y+ Q. $re you fans of any of the modern day treasure hunting 34 shows e.g. 5awn Stars? 2ould you see your story dramati!ed 6anonymously7 for 34? &ohn: #ince the find* we ha)e eco(e a !itt!e (ore aware of the(+

%+ Had you e)er !oo'ed for treasure efore&ohn: Not serious!y+ We (ade se)era! ca("in$ tri"s and ou$ht so(e $o!d "annin$ eFui"(ent+ We ended u" with a )ia! of $o!d* so the idea of "annin$ rea!!y cau$ht (y interest+ The idea of "annin$ for $o!d has a !ot of a""ea!+ Q. $re there any causes you feel passionately about that you have considered donating to? Mary: We/d !i'e to he!" other "eo"!e with so(e of this (oney+ There are "eo"!e in our co((unity who are hun$ry and don/t ha)e enou$h to eat+ We/!! a!so donate to the arts and other o)er!oo'ed causes+ In a way it has een $ood to ha)e ti(e etween findin$ the coins and ein$ a !e to se!! the( in order to "re"are and ad8ust+ It/s $i)en us an o""ortunity to thin' a out how to $i)e ac'+ Q. Do you see a day in the future when you might be willing to deal with the media and the publicity surrounding this historic discovery? Mary: May e when we turn <3 years o!d . G3 yrs away, B!au$hsE %+ This hoard wi!! e in the anna!s of nu(is(atic stories for Fuite so(e ti(e7 "erha"s fore)er+ How do you fee! a out thatMary: It wou!d ha)e een Fuite a "ity not to share the (a$nitude of our find+ We want to 'ee" the story of these coins intact for "osterity+ %+ Do you ha)e anythin$ e!se to share a out findin$ what (ay e the $reatest uried treasure e)er found in North A(ericaMary: Whate)er answers you see'* they (i$ht e ri$ht at ho(e, The answer to our difficu!ties was ri$ht there under our feet for years+ Don0t e a o)e endin$ o)er to chec' on a rusty can,,,,