"I Couldn't Believe It": Amateur Finds Thousands of 1,000-Year-Old Silver Coins With Metal Detector in Finland

Discovery of Various Silver Artifacts Such as Coins and Bracelets
"I Couldn't Believe It...Very Exciting"

An amateur explorer in Finland has discovered thousands of silver coins, estimated to have been buried around 1,000 years ago, while scanning the ground with a metal detector.

According to ABC News and other outlets on September 12 (local time), amateur explorer Kale Lapinen was searching for artifacts with a metal detector in the Siismä region of Finland on September 3, when he found silver coins and other items buried underground and quickly reported the discovery to the authorities.

Silver coin discovered in the Siismä region of Finland. Lahti Museum

The day after the discovery, archaeologists who surveyed the site confirmed about 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of silver artifacts. The Lahti Museum stated that this discovery is the largest hoard of coins from the Late Iron Age ever found in Finland.

The artifacts discovered included more than just silver coins. A variety of silver items were also found, such as silver bracelets, silver fragments, silver buckles, and silver beads. The artifacts were buried approximately 45 centimeters underground, divided between two birch bark containers located about 12 meters apart.

Esko Tikala, the archaeologist who conducted the excavation, said it is still unclear why the treasure was buried. Some suggest that a merchant might have hidden the wealth for safekeeping, while others propose that a wealthy resident concealed it in anticipation of an attack.

Lahti Museum

The exact weight of the silver and the total number of coins remain unconfirmed, as the coins still need to be cleaned and sorted. However, the museum believes the number of coins is in the thousands.

Lapinen expressed his astonishment at the discovery, saying, "I couldn't believe it," when he first found the silver. He explained that he typically uses a metal detector in the area to look for Iron Age artifacts. Lapinen noted that uncovering a large-scale buried hoard like this is unusual and called it "a very exciting discovery."

According to Tikala, Siismä is now a small village, but archaeological evidence from the area suggests that during the Iron Age it was a bustling commercial center engaged in trade with other regions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.