Treasure Trove Found in the Czech Republic

I'm no foreign coin enthusiast, but a major treasure trove of medieval coins has recently been discovered in the Czech Republic.

Credited to Popular Mechanics magazine . . .

A Woman Went for a Casual Walk—and Accidentally Discovered a One-in-a-Million Treasure
Jackpot.

By Tim NewcombPublished: Apr 09, 2025 9:19 AM EDT


Dougal Waters//Getty Images

• A woman walking in the Czech Republic stumbled upon more than 2,150 early medieval silver coins.
• Originally stored in a ceramic pot during a time of political turmoil, the coins have sat in place since the first quarter of the 12th century.
• Museum staff will now analyze and restore the denarii.

A ceramic pot turned into a jackpot for a woman on a walk in the Kutnohorsk Region of the Czech Republic. While out on a stroll, the woman happened upon a roughly 900-year-old stash of more than 2,150 medieval silver coins known as denarii.

While the ceramic pot holding the coins was mostly demolished, the coins themselves remain a rich collection. According to a translated statement, they are now being processed by experts from the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, and the Czech Silver Museum in Kutná Hora.

Dubbed one of the greatest finds of the last decade, institute archaeologist Filip Velímský believes the discovery is like winning a prize in the lottery—even if someone else was the loser. “It was probably placed in its place during the first quarter of the 12th century, at a time of internal political instability,” he said. “At that time, there were disputes in the country between the members of the Přemysl dynasty about the princely throne of Prague.”