Fortune smiled upon a couple from Martinček (Ružomberok district). During a walk in the village of Likavka, they found a pouch full of coins, possibly over 500 years old. According to heritage experts, this is a treasure unprecedented in northern Slovakia.
While some can only dream of finding a treasure, for a couple from the Ružomberok district, this dream became a reality. On Saturday, March 23rd, while walking in the cadastral area of the village of Likavka, they discovered a broken jug with remnants of a pouch full of money in a shallow hole dug up by wild boars. They immediately informed the Regional Monument Office (KPÚ) in Žilina about the find. “The finders contacted us by phone, and then my colleague, an archaeologist from the Orava Museum, Barbora Danielová, and I went to the site, where the finders patiently waited and guarded the discovery without attempting to remove the coins,” said archaeologist Martin Furman from KPÚ in Žilina.
The coins were stored in a cloth pouch and placed in a clay vessel. “This is an extraordinary find, the only one of its kind known from northern Slovakia. The exact number of coins is still unknown, but it certainly exceeds 1,600 silver denarii. The treasure also includes two gold ducats of Louis II of Hungary, John Zápolya, and Ferdinand I of Habsburg. The period of these coins spans from 1468 to 1527. Since we have cleaned only about 250 coins so far, it’s possible that there are other types of coins in the collection. Among the cleaned coins is also a groschen of Louis II of Hungary,” reveals Martin Furman.
Who hid the coins there remains a mystery, but it was likely someone who felt threatened by some danger and, fearing the loss of their considerable wealth, buried the treasure in a hastily dug hole (about 20 cm deep). “The value of the treasure will be determined by an expert after a detailed examination of all the coins. Among the coins are common issues, but also rare ones, which certainly increase the treasure’s value,” the archaeologist speculates, emphasizing that this is truly a unique find. More frequently found treasures are from the 17th century, from the period of the anti-Habsburg uprisings.
“Currently, the coins are being intensively cleaned. They will then be sorted by ruler and year. Afterward, the treasure will be assessed by an expert who will determine its value. The Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic, upon receiving the expert’s appraisal, will initiate the process of awarding a finder’s fee to the honest discoverers. In this case, given how the finders acted—by not removing the treasure themselves but instead waiting patiently for over three hours for the arrival of the competent authorities—they are entitled to 100% of the treasure’s value, as determined by the expert,” concludes Martin Furman from KPÚ in Žilina.
