Hikers Discover Hidden Treasure That May Be Worth More Than $300,000

The next time you go for a walk, you may be tempted to look for buried gold. A hike in the Czech Republic turned into an accidental treasure hunt for two men who stumbled upon a buried trove of riches.

In February, two men were trekking through the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains, located near the Polish border in the northern region of the Czech Republic, when they discovered a canister filled with hundreds of shiny gold coins. Nearby, an iron box was found with more treasures, including cigarette cases, bracelets, a comb, and a chain with a key.

The men handed over the findings to the Museum of East Bohemia, where archaeologists are now analyzing the discoveries, according to an April 25 Facebook post. Together, the items weigh more than 15 pounds and could be worth as much as $340,000. Under Czech law, the hikers may receive up to 10 percent of the treasure’s value as a reward, TVP World reports.

The can contained 598 coins neatly arranged into 11 columns and wrapped in black cloth, weighing more than 8 pounds. The coins were stamped with dates ranging from 1808 to 1915. Some coins also bear countermarks, indicating that they were reissued in 1921 in an area of Yugoslavia most likely encompassing modern-day Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Artnet. The coins originated from various countries such as France, Turkey, Belgium, Romania, Italy, and Russia.

The reason the treasure was buried is unknown. Miroslav Novák, head of the archaeological department of the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, told Czech Radio that it's possible the treasure belonged to one of the thousands of Czech or Jewish people who fled during World War II to escape persecution. He notes that it could also be linked to "monetary reform," referring to the monetary reform forced upon Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1953.

While it remains unclear who hid the stash and why it was never retrieved, experts believe it was hidden because the coins are gold. "It was clearly not about the nominal value of the coins. It’s not about what the coins could buy—that’s not what mattered. It was deliberately hidden because it was precious metal," the Museum of Eastern Bohemia's coin expert, Vojtěch Brádle, told Czech Radio.