The Caesarea (Israel) Hoard

Amateur divers recently found nearly 2,000 coins from the 11^th century in this ancient harbor in Israel:

Link:

Israel's largest-ever gold hoard discovery reported at ancient harbor

Coin World, March 9, 2015

Despite being underwater for nearly 1,000 years, the coins didn't need cleaning or conservation. That's gold, brother. It resists corrosion and tarnish. 

Discovered in Caesarea National Park, Israel

But let us be honest. And precise. This is not a hoard. Proper hoards are accumulated by eccentrics, gathered  obsessively, guarded jealously in secrecy for years. Hoards are hidden. They are bricked up in walls, hidden beneath false floors, and stashed in chests in the basements of derelict houses, as in The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure (Mickey Mouse Club, 1956).

In contrast, the Caesarea discovery is the result of a mere natural disaster. This is shipwreck gold. Nevertheless, I would like to find 2,000 gold coins. Hoard, shipwreck, or otherwise, sack of gold lying in the middle of the street... it makes no difference to me.

Bristol Palin Engaged!

Ah, Bristol. You keep popping up in my life, when I least expect it.

Her fiance must be a good man. He won the Medal of Honor. But now he faces even tougher challenges. Sarah Palin will be his mother-in-law. And both Sarah and Bristol are more famous than he is.

Link:
Bristol Palin to marry US Medal of Honour winner Dakota Meyer
The Daily Telegraph, 3:08PM GMT 15 Mar 2015