Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
When a pair of hikers spotted something shiny peeking out of stone back in February, they never imagined what they would find. It was an aluminum can, and inside were hundreds of gold coins wrapped in black fabric that would end up making their walk a lot richer—literally.
The discovery. The aluminum can wasn’t the only thing the hikers found that day, though. A few feet away, the hikers caught sight of another metal box, which ended up containing a series of snuffboxes, bracelets, and more. They were all gold.
In the end, the aluminum can contained 598 gold coins. The metal box, on the other hand, held 16 snuff boxes, 10 bracelets, a fine wire mesh bag, a comb, a chain with a key, and a powdered compact. The gold coins are estimated to be worth $340,000. Meanwhile, the other items, if they are solid gold, could be worth another $340,000.
The hikers found the troves of treasure, which together added up to a total weight of 15 pounds, in the Krkonose Mountains, a range in the northern part of the Czech Republic. The location has become the first piece of a fascinating search to find out who could have hidden the gold.
The treasure. The pair turned over their findings to Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové, which is analyzing the objects and working to conserve them. Miroslav Novák, head of the museum’s archaeological department, said in a statement although storing treasure in the ground in “depots” has been a common practice since prehistoric times, this find was unique because of the “unusually large weight” of the precious metal.
“I was called to say that a person who had found something was coming to see me,” Novak said in an interview. “When he opened it, my jaw dropped.”
The history. Another thing that stands out about the treasure is its age. According to the museum, this trove was buried relatively recently, with the newest coin dating to 1921. That doesn’t mean finding out the story behind it will be any easier, though.
“It’s possible that someone might come across some information, perhaps in the newspapers of the time, that someone robbed a jewelry store or something like that, and suddenly it might lead us to a clue,” Novak said.
The answer may lie with the coins, The New York Times reported. The outlet states that none of the coins are from the area where they were discovered. Half of them are from Western European countries, including France and Belgium, and the others are from around the world.
What happens next. There are already numerous theories online about who the treasure could have belonged to. Some say it could have been collected from prisoners at a war camp, others say it could have been a German who fled the country after World War II.
“Perhaps the person ended up in a concentration camp, or maybe it was a German who simply couldn’t return to retrieve it,” Novak said.
There are still other clues to examine. Museum experts are analyzing the engravings and markings on the snuff boxes and compact. In addition, two of the snuff boxes haven’t been opened yet.
While experts and the public focus on the mystery, there’s at least one thing that’s certain. Czech law will award the hikers who discovered the treasure a reward of up to 10% of its value.
Images | Courtesy of the Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové
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