Hikers come across a bunch of gold coins, triggering a historic hunt

Two hikers were walking in the foothills of the Krkonose mountains in the Czech Republic in early February, when they noticed something brilliant in the process of going bankrupt with a stone wall. They withdrew what turned out to be an aluminum box, looked inside and found a little fortune.

Inside was a treasure of 598 gold pieces, carefully organized in columns and wrapped in black fabric, said Miroslav Novak, the head of the archaeological department of the Oriental Bohemian Museum, who then took possession of the hiding place.

A few meters away, the hikers uncovered a second cache: a metal box containing gold objects, including 16 tobacots, 10 bracelets, a comb, a chain with a small key and a compact powder.

The discovery of the treasure, worth $ 680,000, sparked research among historians and amateur detectives to determine who could have hidden wealth.

“What is exceptional in this case is the volume,” said Dr. Novak.

He estimated that the gold coins were worth around 7.5 million Czech Koruna, or about $ 340,000. The other articles, if they are in solid gold and not simply plated with gold, could be worth an additional $ 340,000, he said.

But what was really intriguing, he said, is how recently the articles were buried.

While archaeological discoveries are quite common in the region, with many bronze age or medieval era, the new medal in this collection was 1921, indicating that the treasure had been hidden during the last century.