"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks," John Muir famously said. None more so than two hikers in the Czech Republic. While walking in the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains in early February, they came upon gold coins that were likely "hidden in the ground for over a hundred years," per the Museum of East Bohemia, which now holds the items. The aluminum jar the hikers sighted 598 gold coins wrapped in 11 black fabric bundles. They had been minted between 1808 and the early 1900s and have been valued at about $341,000.
Some three feet from the jar they also found a metal box that held pieces made of yellow metal, CBS News reports: 16 tobacco bags, 10 bracelets, a bag made of fine wire mesh, a comb, a powder coat, and a chain with a key. Miroslav Novák, head of the museum's archaeological department, shares theories on why the treasure was hidden in an interview with Radio Prague International: "It was the beginning of the war, the deportation of the Czech and Jewish populations, then the deportation of the Germans after the war ... there was also a monetary reform, which could have also been a reason." The pieces were buried "in uncertain times with the intention of returning later for it," Novák said.
As Heritage Daily reports, the recency of the hoard's burial provides a unique opportunity. Unlike treasures that date to the Middle Ages or earlier, "treasures from more recent times offer greater opportunities for historical investigation. In such cases, researchers can potentially draw on archival records to reconstruct the story behind the deposit." (More buried treasure stories.)
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