West Point's Time Capsule Wasn't a Total Bust

UPDATE Aug 31, 2023 1:45 AM CDT

The nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that appeared to be a total dud when it was opened on Monday turned out to hold some treasure after all. As the AP puts it, "It was just more hidden than expected." West Point on Wednesday revealed that within the sediment found in the box were six silver American coins dating from 1795 to 1828 and a commemorative medal; some could be worth north of $1,000. "When I first found these, I thought, man, you know, it would have been great to have found these on stage," said West Point archaeologist Paul Hudson, who discovered the coins with the aid of a small wooden pick and brush. He still plans to analyze the sediment to see what else can be determined about the original contents.

Aug 28, 2023 5:15 PM CDT

The joke turned out to be way more fitting than intended. Just before an archaeologist opened a lead box believed to have been buried by West Point cadets 200 years ago, a school dean told the audience, "I was told yesterday that if we had a sense of humor, we would have asked Mr. Rivera to be up here with us," per the AP. The reference was to Geraldo Rivera's much-hyped opening of Al Capone's vault in the 1980s, which turned out to be a bust. West Point's big reveal on Monday wasn't much better: The "time capsule" contained only mud and silty sediment, reports the BBC.

"A little disappointed," said West Point archaeologist Paul Hudson. "We built up to this quite a bit. And I'll tell you the truth, that was the last outcome that I expected with all the trouble that they went to create that box, put it in the monument." The lead container was found in May at the base of a monument honoring Revolutionary War hero Thaddeus Kosciuszko. The best guess is that a damaged seam allowed in moisture, thus damaging any paper or wood that might have been placed inside in the 1820s. But there's still a glimmer of hope: "We're going to remove all of that sediment and we'll screen it through some fine mesh screen and see if anything comes out of it," says Hudson.

(More West Point stories.)