Hidden trove of treasure worth over $340,000 found by hikers in Czech Republic
About three feet away, they found 16 tobacco bags, 10 bracelets, a bag made of fine wire mesh, a comb, a powder coat and a chain with a key. These items were made of yellow metal and were found in a metal box, the museum said.
The coins appear to have been “hidden in the ground for over a hundred years,” according to a museum expert, and are dated from 1808 to the early 19th century. Local media reported that the coins, which were likely buried after 1921, include currency from France, Belgium, the Ottoman Empire and former Austria-Hungary. Small marks on the currency indicate that they were minted for use in former Yugoslavia, which existed from 1918 to 1992. The museum called the collection a “very specific set.”
Experts have yet to date or determine an origin for the other objects. Efforts are underway to analyze the items and identify the yellow metal that the pieces are composed of.
Miroslav Novák, head of the museum’s archaeological department, said the finding is unique, but the practice of burying treasure underground has been a “common practice since the prehistoric times.” Often, the pieces were buried “in uncertain times with the intention of returning later for it,” Novák said.