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Hard Times Tokens: Millions for Defense, but Not One Cent for Tribute
“No, no, not a sixpence, sir!” replied Charles Cotesworth Pinckney to France’s demand for tribute. Pinckney, along with Elbridge Gerry and John Marshall, was sent to France in 1797 by President John Adams to try to negotiate an end to French attacks on American ships. As news of the French demand spread throughout America, “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute” eventually became the public rallying cry as anti-French feelings grew. But, contradictory to what some Hard Times token and historical references say, it was not Charles Pinckney who first spoke the famous phrase.
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Shipwreck and Treasure of the S.S. Central America
So far this has been the grand-daddy of all shipwrecks. Over 700 coins and hundreds of gold ingots recovered, not to mention the only authenticated California Gold Rush placer gold nuggets known to exist. The recovered treasure had a numismatic value estimated at over $100 million before the dramatic run-up in prices after 2003!
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Tennessee Hoard of 19th Century U.S. Gold Coins
Everyone likes a good mystery and the Tennessee Hoard certainly fits the bill. Uncovered by city workmen working on a parking lot in 1985, the discovery of millions of dollars worth of 19th century gold set off a mad scramble by all those nearby to grab what they could and run. So who's gold was it? Why was it buried there? Where's the gold now?
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