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As strange as it may seem, many discoveries have been made purely by chance or by 'mistake'. And that is exactly what happened in the Czech Republic. Some hikers, while climbing in the Podkrkonosi mountains in the northwest of the country, came across an aluminum can and an iron box.
Although, at first, they may be very unattractive containers, the climbers were in for a pleasant surprise when they opened them, discovering a treasure that may have belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was created in 1867 and lasted until 1918. Inside, the hikers found 16 snuff boxes, 10 bracelets, a comb, a chain, a powder box, a wire bag and up to 598 gold coins.
As numismatist Vojtech Bradle pointed out, many of these coins bear stamps with dates ranging from 1808 to 1915. According to the expert, these did not come directly from the Vienna Mint, but traveled through the Balkans as they bear stamps from kingdoms in that area. Apparently, the coins may have circulated in Serbia between 1920 and 1930.
A treasure worth $350,000
The total value of everything found inside the can and box could be around $350,000. The origin of this incredible treasure, which has been donated to the Museum of East Bohemia, is uncertain. "I was speechless. (...) The value is priceless," said Miroslav Novak, head of archaeology at the museum.
The aim now is to discover how the treasure came to the Czech Republic. According to Novak, valuable objects were stored underground during times of uncertainty with the intention of retrieving them later. One theory is that these valuables were hidden when some areas of the country began to be annexed in 1938.
"It is difficult to say whether it is the gold of a Czech who had to leave the occupied territory after the Nazi invasion of 1938, the gold of a German who feared being displaced after 1945 or Jewish gold," explained the museum's director, Petr Grulic.