While working on underground piping near a swimming pool in May, Claus Völker, a resident of Glottertal in Germany, stumbled upon “small metal plates” buried in the soil as he began his task, according to a translated statement from the State Office for Monument Preservation under the Stuttgart regional council.
Archaeologists quickly arrived at the site the same day and unearthed approximately 1,000 coins. The following day, rain turned the ground into knee-deep mud, but the archaeologists pressed on with metal detectors, recovering around 600 more coins.
Andreas Haasis-Berner, an archaeologist with the State Office for Monument Preservation, revealed that most of the coins originated from the mints in Breisach, Zofingen, and Freiburg, dating back to around 1320 AD. The collection also includes a few coins minted in Basel, St. Gallen, Zurich, Laufenburg, and Colmar.
As for the value of this medieval collection at the time, it was likely lost. “You could have bought about 150 sheep with these coins,” Haasis-Berner mentioned in the statement.
Völker’s keen observation is credited with leading to “one of the most extensive medieval coin treasures discovered in recent decades.” Without his attention, these coins might have remained hidden as mere fragments in the dirt.
The region where the coins were found may still conceal other secrets due to its historical significance. “Glottertal has been one of the most important mining areas for the dukes of Freiburg,” Haasis-Berner explained, as reported by Live Science. “The location where the coins were discovered was a central settlement area for miners.”
In a related discovery in 2016, more than 200 coins from the 1300s were found by chance in a forest near Zurich, Switzerland. However, that collection would have only been enough to purchase 25 sheep. These and other discoveries in the region contribute to a broader historical narrative, often linked to political instability or payments for mercenary armies.
This newly discovered coin trove not only excites the region but also provides a new resource for investigation, potentially deepening our understanding of the area’s history. “Evaluating this coin treasure will allow us to make statements about coin circulation in Breisgau, minting activities, the silver trade, and mining in Glottertal,” Haasis-Berner noted.
