Hikers Stumble Upon a Mysterious Stash of Gold on a Mountain Trail, Possibly Left Behind During WWII

World War II was a highly turbulent time for many groups in the present-day Czech Republic. Museum of Eastern Bohemia claims that one of these groups or an individual from them, amidst the havoc, possibly left behind some of their items in the Krkonoše Mountains, according to CNN. Decades later, these items have come into the hands of unsuspecting hikers. 

The pair of hikers found these items while taking a shortcut in the Krkonoše Mountains, which is now a popular hiking spot. The collection was massive, as it contained around ten gold bracelets, 598 gold coins, 17 cigar cases, a comb, as well as a powder impact. All of these objects were stuffed inside an aluminium box and placed in front of a stony wall. The box stood out to the hikers on the trail, who, after opening it, took it to the museum. The hikers who detected the treasure chose to remain anonymous. 

Miroslav Novak, the head of the archaeological department in the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, claims that after the officials looked into the treasure, they immediately sent a team to explore the area where it was found. On examination, they concluded that the treasure appears not to have been more than a century old. They drew this assertion from the fact that one of the coins seemed to have been minted in 1921. The minting year for the rest of the coins remains a mystery.

Novak thinks the coins and, by extension, the other items were left behind during the turbulent years before or after World War II. He believes that when the Germans in 1945 were leaving the area, the stash somehow got displaced or was put at the spot intentionally. Researchers claim that the collection could have also been left behind when the Czech and Jewish population were leaving the region before World War II. To understand the objective behind possibly keeping or displacing the treasure at the spot, experts need to know more about the collection's owner. Experts have not made any progress on this matter. 

Numismatists until now have not been able to find any local coins in the mix, according to the New York Post. Despite this, rumors began swirling in the community that it could be associated with some famous families in the region. The collection also reportedly had a key with a chain whose lock is yet to be found.

Analysis has revealed that most of the coins were made either in France or the Balkans, according to Vice. Some were also spotted to have countermarks from former Yugoslavia. All of this made experts speculate that the coins were possibly transported from the south after World War I or could have been hidden here during the various waves of displacement that took place in the region during the two wars. Currently, the treasure is undergoing a full material analysis for more insights and will later be put on display at the Museum.

The cigar cases remain unopened to protect the integrity of the items, according to CNN. As far as the treasure's value is concerned, experts estimate the gold coins alone will be priced at 8.16 pounds or about $360,000. As per Czech law, the finds are the property of the local administration, and then hikers will be given some financial compensation for spotting the collection.