Surprise found in West Point time capsule after appearing empty | USA TODAY

Six coins and a commemorative medal were found in what appeared to be an empty time capsule.

No one saw them at first, but later, six old coins, dating from 1795 to 1828, and a commemorative medal from 1826, were found among the thick, caked silt at the bottom of the 1-foot, lead cube they had been inside for nearly 200 years.

U.S. Military Academy officials opened the box on Monday.

The new revelation, announced Wednesday, is a bit of redemption for Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland, the academy superintendent who had said the live-streamed reveal wasn't just hype: something was inside the time capsule.