Hikers Stumble Upon a Pile of Gold Coins, Igniting a Historical Hunt

Europe|Hikers Stumble Upon a Pile of Gold Coins, Igniting a Historical Hunt

Two hikers were strolling in the foothills of the Krkonose Mountains in the Czech Republic in early February when they noticed something shiny peeking out of a stone wall. They pulled out what turned out to be an aluminum can, looked inside and found a small fortune.

Inside was a treasure trove of 598 gold coins, neatly organized into columns and wrapped in black fabric, said Miroslav Novak, the head of the archaeological department of the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, which later took possession of the stash.

A few feet away, the hikers unearthed a second cache: a metal box containing gold items, including 16 snuffboxes, 10 bracelets, a comb, a chain with a small key and a powder compact.

The discovery of the treasure, worth as much as $680,000, has set off a search among historians and amateur sleuths to figure out who might have hidden the riches.

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

He estimated that the gold coins were worth around 7.5 million Czech Koruna, or about $340,000. The other items, if they are solid gold and not merely gold plated, could be worth another $340,000, he said.

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

While archaeological discoveries are fairly common in the region, with many dating back to the Bronze Age or medieval times, the newest coin in this collection was from 1921, indicating that the treasure had been hidden within about the past century.