Despite their appearance, the little aluminum can and iron box surprised historians and two lucky hikers. After discovering the canisters during a trip in the Czech Republic's Podkrkonosí Mountains earlier this year, the travelers brought their findings to experts for evaluation.
A recent assessment by Museum of Eastern Bohemia experts values the jewels, antiquities, and approximately 600 gold coins inside the containers at over $340,000.
Researchers question how and why this golden trove of goods and coins from many nations and eras reached the Czech Republic and was never claimed.
The gold iron box held 16 snuff boxes, 10 bracelets, a wire bag, a comb, a chain, and a powder compact. The container held 598 gold pieces in 11 columns covered in black fabric.
According to numismatist Vojtěch Brádle, several stamps from the Austria-Hungarian empire under Franz Joseph I date from 1808 to 1915.
„I discovered that these coins went to the Balkans, not us, from the Vienna mint,” said Brádle. “And there, after the monarchy collapsed, in the then-Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenians, countermarks were minted.”
The coins were likely employed in Balkan necklaces and headdresses in Serbia in the 1920s and 1930s. The collection also includes coins from France, Belgium, Turkey, Romania, Italy, and Russia. How they all reached eastern Bohemia is unknown.
There are several theories about the treasure's European trip. The belongings may have been hidden during Nazi Germany's 1930s takeover. After the Munich Agreement of 1938, hundreds of thousands of Jews and Czechs fled further into the country to avoid persecution.
The cases may have been buried to hide valuables from the invading forces. Another theory links the stashes to World War II's end, when Nazis retreated before Russian forces.