Metal detectorist unearths gold item — and finds unique 600-year-old artifact. See it
While searching a field in northern Poland, a metal detectorist unearthed a small, shiny item. It turned out to be a unique 600-year-old artifact.
Daniel Kwaśniak vel Kwasniewski was using a metal detector to search a field near Kamień in September when he found something buried a few inches down, the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land said in an Oct. 14 Facebook post. Digging into the dirt, vel Kwasniewski uncovered a small gold coin.
Museum officials identified the coin as a well-preserved gold gulden from 1429 or 1430. Photos show the unique medieval artifact.
Guldens were a gold currency used throughout modern-day Germany and Poland in the medieval era, the museum said. The coins varied in design based on the city where they were minted.
The coin found near Kamień was linked to the German archbishop Otto von Ziegenhain. The front of the coin shows von Ziegenhain in his traditional liturgical attire with a staff, the museum said. Around the outside of the figure runs a Latin inscription — “Ottonis” — referencing the archbishop.
On the back, the 600-year-old coin is decorated with von Ziegenhain’s coat of arms, the museum said. A photo shows this shield-shaped design, which includes a six-pointed star, chain-like pattern and cross.
The medieval gold coin had economic and symbolic value, officials said.
The coin’s finder, vel Kwasniewski, said it felt amazing to find something of such high value, materially and historically.
Vel Kwasniewski donated the coin to the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land. It was put on public display Oct. 17, the museum said.
Kamień is a village in northern Poland and a roughly 250-mile drive northwest of Warsaw.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook posts from the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land.
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Metal detectorist unearths gold item — and finds unique 600-year-old artifact. See it."
