Members of the Polish Hussars Association have discovered a rare hoard of coins from the 16th and 17th centuries near Pomiechówek in east-central Poland.
The hoard has been described as one of the most important finds of its kind in Poland, which experts have valued at around £95,000 (just over $124,000).
The discovery was made by Sławomir and Szymon Milewscy during a survey to locate a historic trade route dating back to Roman times.
Instead, the pair found 17 coins originating from Saxony, Brandenburg and the Netherlands, mostly dating from the Thirty Years’ War period.
One of the most important treasure discoveries in Poland
One of the coins is a 1630 Sigismund III Vasa thaler minted at the Toruń mint, for which a similar coin (in worse condition) sold at auction in 2023 for £16,500 (just over $24,500).
The rest of the hoard consists of a 1623 John II plate from the Duchy of Palatinate, a 1621 plate from the Tyrol, and two 1621 Patagonian plates representing Albert and Elizabeth of the Spanish Netherlands.
Also found was a 1641 plate of Frederick William I of Brandenburg-Prussia, plates of Johann Georg I of Saxony, John II of the Duchy of Palatinate, Leopold V, Frederick I of Austria, Rudolf II of Austria and five Patagonians of Philip IV of the Spanish Netherlands, writes HeritageDaily.
“The historical significance is beyond measure”
“This is probably one of the biggest finds of its kind ever made in Poland and certainly in Mazovia. The historical significance is beyond measure, and the estimated material value is half a million złotys,” Piotr Duda, an archaeologist from Triglav, told Polskie Radio.
How the hoard came to be buried near Pomiechówek is speculated, however, one proposal is that the coins were deposited for safety during a period of turmoil.
This hypothesis is supported by the fact that Pomiechówek is located near the 1655 battle between Swedish forces and the Polish crown at Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
