Two hikers on a winter walk in northeastern Czechia stumbled onto a stash that turned out to be one of the country’s most unusual modern treasures.

Dates on the coins spanned the years 1808 to 1915. Specialists say the hoard was probably buried after 1921 because several pieces carry tiny countermarks, official stamps added to coins after minting in the former Yugoslavia during the 1920s and 1930s. The hoard was dominated by French issues and there were no coins from Germany or Czechoslovakia, a pattern that already raises fresh historical questions. 

The investigation is being led by Miroslav Novák at the Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové. His team includes a museum numismatist, an expert who studies coins and currency.

What was found

The hoard sat in two containers tucked into a man made stone wall on the southwest slope of Zvičina Hill. The aluminum jar and a nearby metal box were separated by about 3 feet (0.9 meters).

Inside, were 598 gold coins arranged in stacks and wrapped in black fabric. There were also sixteen snuff or cigarette cases, ten bracelets, a fine wire mesh purse, a comb, a chain with a key, and a powder compact. 

Curators estimate the total weight at roughly 15 pounds (7 kilograms), with the coins alone making up about 8 pounds (3.75 kilograms) of gold. The museum has placed the assemblage under controlled conditions while technicians document each object.

Finders turned everything over in February 2025 during routine fieldwork by staff. The museum later presented the hoard to journalists, but the emphasis remains on careful study rather than spectacle.

Why coins get stashed away

Modern hoards are not just curiosities. They are time stamped records of stress, wealth, and movement.

“The list of potential reasons for which it was likely buried is fairly clear,” said Novák. 

Across archaeology, deliberate burial of valuables shows up from prehistory into recent centuries. Scholars now use hoards to probe how people responded to upheaval. A recent analysis considers the reasons for deliberately hiding valuables and covers finds from the Mesolithic through the twentieth century. It highlights the role of ritual acts, crisis events, and private safekeeping in different eras. 

In twentieth century Central Europe, reasons could include pre-war tension, wartime flight, or later monetary reforms. This case fits that broader picture, but the exact story will depend on archival research and the technical study that is now underway.

Clues in the coin markings

Those small countermarks are the first major clue. They indicate that some coins circulated in the Balkans after World War I, before the hoard was concealed.

“It was deliberately hidden because it was precious metal,” said Vojtěch Brádle, numismatist at the Museum of East Bohemia.

The composition is striking, with most pieces being French and the rest largely Austro-Hungarian, Belgian, and Ottoman. Specialists note the total absence of German and Czechoslovak issues, which is atypical for finds in Czechia of similar age.

How scientists will study the hoard

First comes documentation, then non-destructive testing. For the yellow metal items that are not coins, Czech authorities will determine alloy composition to guide conservation. 

A core tool is X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, a non-invasive technique that reveals an object’s elemental makeup without sampling. Conservation scientists rely on this method to analyze metals, jewelry, and other cultural materials in situ, often with handheld instruments. 

Results will steer how conservators stabilize each object. If the bracelets and snuff cases are not all gold, different cleaning and storage protocols will apply, to prevent corrosion or stress cracking.

Technical data also sharpen the historical picture. Specific fineness standards and trace element signatures can narrow down where and when an item was made or modified.

Law, ownership, and rewards

Czech law treats finds like this as archaeological heritage. Finders must report them, and authorities decide on custody and study which, in this case, sits with the regional museum.

Under the law on the protection of monuments, rewards can be granted to finders up to the material price for precious metal finds or up to ten percent of the cultural historical value for others, a law that balances private incentive with public stewardship. 

Any future display will follow conservation, cataloging, and provenance checks. That keeps the focus on information as much as on spectacle.

What the hidden treasure can teach

Coins can tell us about exchange rates, trade routes, and savings habits in a way few other sources can. They track how gold moved across borders even when official currencies changed.

The Yugoslav countermarks connect this trove to a specific post-war monetary story. That link invites targeted searches in shipping manifests, bank records, and local registries.

Small details matter. A chain link style, a purse weave, or a bracelet clasp can tie objects to a maker or a city, and that narrows the range of owners and motives.

A modern treasure with human stakes

The site sits in a borderland region with layered twentieth century histories. People there lived through quick political shifts that often forced rushed choices about family assets.

Museums do not guess. They test, compare, and follow the paperwork where it exists. That takes time, but it is how conjecture becomes evidence.

Whatever the final backstory, this hoard already shows how modern deposits can be as revealing as ancient ones. It also shows why careful reporting by finders helps everyone learn more, faster.

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