And A Hefty Tax Bill

There is no question that the discovery of the coins is a taxable event. In a famous 1969 decision, a U.S. District Court in Ohio ruled that a "treasure trove" is taxable the year it is discovered. In that case, Cesarini vs. United States, a couple bought a used piano in 1957 for about $15. In 1964, they found $4,467 in old currency inside it.

The court ruled that the money constituted ordinary income in 1964, the year in which they had "undisputed possession" of the funds. It did not qualify for the lower capital gains tax rate because neither the piano nor the currency were sold or exchanged.

. . . then there's this . . . apparently there's a plausible link that the gold coins are a majority of a theft from the SF Mint. The face value of the coins found is $27,000. The reported theft, a few years after the date of the coins minting, was $30,000. Hmm . . .