Archaeologists uncovered a hoard of 409 gold coins during house construction in Russia, with experts believing the treasure was buried during the 1917 Russian Revolution
A treasure trove of gold coins from a brutal revolution valued at more than £373,000 has been unearthed by archaeologists.
The historic cache dates back over a century and was found during house construction work. A staggering 409 gold coins were excavated whilst a team of archaeologists were investigating a period property. The coins stretch back to 1848 at the earliest and are thought to have been concealed during the final days of the Russian Empire.
The find was made during excavation work at a heritage house prior to new construction in Torzhok, Russia. The announcement regarding the discovery made last year was confirmed last week.
The collection comprised 387 gold 10-ruble coins, 10 coins valued at 5 rubles, 10 coins worth 14 rubles and two 7.5-ruble coins. Thanks to inflation, the collection of coins now carries an estimated worth of £373,000.
Whilst several coins date from 1848, the rest originate from the rule of Czar Nicholas II – Russia’s final emperor.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Nicholas and the remaining royal Romanov family were executed in 1918. Specialists believe the coins were stashed away at the beginning of the revolution with the owner planning to retrieve them later.
Records from the region indicate 24 families lived in the area during the 19th and 20th centuries, with no verification of who concealed the coins. The collection is now bound for the All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum.
Archaeologists from the Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum finished the dig.
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