Latest news with #Brádle
American Military News
09-05-2025
- American Military News
Pic: Gold treasure found by hikers in overgrown field
An 'unusually large' treasure trove of gold coins, tobacco boxes, and jewelry was recently discovered by two hikers in the Czech Republic. In a statement obtained by Fox News, the Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, confirmed that a 15-pound 'depot of gold coins, jewelry and tobacco boxes' was found by two hikers and delivered to the museum in February. A Museum of East Bohemia press release obtained by Fox News stated, '[T]wo finders discovered two boxes in an artificially created stone wall on the edge of a now non-existent field overgrown with forest during a tourist walk on the southwestern slope of Zvičina Hill.' A picture shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows the large collection of gold coins, bars, and rings found by the hikers in the overgrown Czech Republic field. The picture reveals that some of the gold items have been tarnished due to age. Whoa, what a find! Hikers in the Czech Republic uncovered a $340K stash of gold coins & jewelry near Zvičina Hill! Hidden since WWII, this treasure's now at the Museum of East Bohemia. Keep hunting, folks! — @_Treasure_Kings_ (@_Treasure_Kings) April 30, 2025 According to Fox News, the Museum of East Bohemia confirmed that 598 coins were found in a container that was 'divided into 11 columns and wrapped in black fabric.' The museum said, 'In a metal box found about a meter away, objects made of yellow metal were stored — 16 tobacco boxes, 10 bracelets, a bag made of fine wire mesh, a comb, a chain with a key, and a powder box.' Fox News reported that Miroslav Novák, an archaeologist at the Museum of East Bohemia, described the hikers' discovery as a 'unique find.' 'Storing valuable objects in the ground as treasures, known as depots, has been common practice since prehistoric times,' Novák said. 'Initially, religious motives were more common, but later it was property stored during uncertain times with the intention of retrieving it later. This find is notable for the unusually large weight of precious metal.' READ MORE: Pics: Surprising WWII shipwreck finds revealed Fox News reported that the Czech Republic gold discovery is an unusual find since the earliest coins in the treasure trove are only from 1808. Vojtěch Brádle, a coin specialist with the Museum of East Bohemia, noted that the treasure was buried for 'just over 100 years.' 'Based on the dates stamped on them, the coins range from 1808 to 1915,' Brádle said. 'However, the year 1915 is not decisive for determining when the depot was placed there.' Brádle explained that marks stamped on the coins indicate that the gold coins must have been buried after World War I. 'These marks were stamped on coins in the territory of former Yugoslavia during the 1920s and 1930s,' Brádle said. 'Within the context of domestic finds, this collection is very specific, as most of it consists of coins of French origin, and besides Austrian-Hungarian coins, it also includes Belgian and Ottoman coins.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hikers discover nearly 600 gold coins dating back to 1808
While the small aluminum can and iron box didn't look like much at first, their contents stunned historians and two lucky hikers alike. The tourists initially stumbled across the containers during a hike in the Czech Republic's Podkrkonosí Mountains earlier this year, but soon took their valuable findings to experts for evaluation. According to a recent assessment by experts at the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, the worth of the jewelry, artifacts, and nearly 600 gold coins inside the containers is estimated to be over $340,000. Now, researchers wonder how this treasure trove of items and currencies from multiple nations and eras made it all the way to the Czech Republic—and why no one ever claimed them. 'When he opened it, my jaw dropped,' Museum of East Bohemia head archeologist Miroslav Novak said in an interview. The iron box housed 16 snuff boxes, 10 bracelets, a wire bag, a comb, a chain, and a powder compact—all gold. Meanwhile, the can's contents featured 598 gold coins divided into 11 columns separately wrapped in black cloth. According to numismatist Vojtěch Brádle, many are stamped with dates ranging from 1808 to 1915, and originated in the Austria-Hungarian empire under the reign of Franz Joseph I. 'I found out that these coins did not travel from the Vienna mint to us, but to the Balkans,' said Brádle. 'And there, after the collapse of the monarchy, in the then-Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, marks, so-called countermarks, were minted.' The coins were likely in Serbia during the 1920s and 1930s, and were often used in typical Balkan necklaces and headdresses. Other coins in the collection come from countries including France, Belgium, Turkey, Romania, Italy, and Russia. However, it's unclear how they all ultimately made it to eastern Bohemia. 'We have no idea,' added Brádle. There are a number of potential theories to explain the treasure's journey across Europe. One explanation is that the belongings were hidden amid Nazi Germany's annexation of the region in the 1930s. Following the Munich Agreement of 1938, hundreds of thousands of Jews and Czechs fled further into the country to escape persecution, and it is possible that the cases were buried in hopes of hiding valuables from the invading armies. Another theory dates the stashes to the end of World War II, when Nazis themselves retreated in the face of Russian forces. Conservationists at the Museum of East Bohemia are now working to catalog and preserve the rare discoveries, and hope to display them in a future public exhibit. As for the two hikers, they are likely happy they chose that particular trail—Czech law entitles them to a reward of up to 10 percent of the find's total value.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hikers discover nearly 600 gold coins dating back to 1808
While the small aluminum can and iron box didn't look like much at first, their contents stunned historians and two lucky hikers alike. The tourists initially stumbled across the containers during a hike in the Czech Republic's Podkrkonosí Mountains earlier this year, but soon took their valuable findings to experts for evaluation. According to a recent assessment by experts at the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, the worth of the jewelry, artifacts, and nearly 600 gold coins inside the containers is estimated to be over $340,000. Now, researchers wonder how this treasure trove of items and currencies from multiple nations and eras made it all the way to the Czech Republic—and why no one ever claimed them. 'When he opened it, my jaw dropped,' Museum of East Bohemia head archeologist Miroslav Novak said in an interview. The iron box housed 16 snuff boxes, 10 bracelets, a wire bag, a comb, a chain, and a powder compact—all gold. Meanwhile, the can's contents featured 598 gold coins divided into 11 columns separately wrapped in black cloth. According to numismatist Vojtěch Brádle, many are stamped with dates ranging from 1808 to 1915, and originated in the Austria-Hungarian empire under the reign of Franz Joseph I. 'I found out that these coins did not travel from the Vienna mint to us, but to the Balkans,' said Brádle. 'And there, after the collapse of the monarchy, in the then-Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, marks, so-called countermarks, were minted.' The coins were likely in Serbia during the 1920s and 1930s, and were often used in typical Balkan necklaces and headdresses. Other coins in the collection come from countries including France, Belgium, Turkey, Romania, Italy, and Russia. However, it's unclear how they all ultimately made it to eastern Bohemia. 'We have no idea,' added Brádle. There are a number of potential theories to explain the treasure's journey across Europe. One explanation is that the belongings were hidden amid Nazi Germany's annexation of the region in the 1930s. Following the Munich Agreement of 1938, hundreds of thousands of Jews and Czechs fled further into the country to escape persecution, and it is possible that the cases were buried in hopes of hiding valuables from the invading armies. Another theory dates the stashes to the end of World War II, when Nazis themselves retreated in the face of Russian forces. Conservationists at the Museum of East Bohemia are now working to catalog and preserve the rare discoveries, and hope to display them in a future public exhibit. As for the two hikers, they are likely happy they chose that particular trail—Czech law entitles them to a reward of up to 10 percent of the find's total value.
