PHOTOS: Rare, 500-year-old, Ottoman-era treasure found in Hungary
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The oldest silver coins found near Nemesvámos, a small Hungarian village close to Veszprém, are from between 1501 and 1506, an era when the Polish Jagiellonian dynasty ruled Hungary after the death of probably the greatest Hungarian king, Matthias I. But most coins date back to the Ottoman era, following the Battle of Mohács, which marked the downfall of medieval Hungary.
According to Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid, the sensational discovery was made by an amateur Hungarian treasure hunter. The cache contained 155 items, mostly coins, dating back to the 16th century. Some are rare, so their sentimental value is high, but their physical value is “only” around HUF 500,000 (EUR 1,331). Zoltán Krámli, an amateur “treasure hunter”, who conducts searches with his metal detector, found the artefacts in the soil near Nemesvámos. Though he found the silver treasure in 2022, the Laczkó Dezső Museum presented them only now after proper restoration, identification and cleaning.
Mr Krámli has been searching for coins and other precious metals buried in the earth for a decade. “I walked around systematically, but I did not find anything for four hours”, he told Blikk. First, his device detected only one coin. He took it and put it into a bag. Then he started to make circles around him and found much more coins. Finally, he found 154 coins, a tin-lead ring and a silver medal in a 1.5-2m radius.
Kra’mli Zolta’n has contributed in a big way thru his persistence. What a reward for his hobbie. There was a tv series about people who spend serious time & money looking for treasures tht I watched on my computer. Funny & interesting characters but also very informative to me who knew nothing about such clubs or individuals. Makes me want to learn though. I know that history and it’s knowledge benefits greatly from such activities and people.