Remember when a man with a metal detector discovered something incredible?

In February 2023, a Polish man on the hunt for historical artifacts in the city of Kamień Pomorsk found a medieval gold coin that prompted some very interesting questions.

The coin in question was a golden ducat that had traveled to the area from The Netherlands. Polish officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land revealed in a social media post that the coin was old: it had been minted all the way back in 1777. 

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The coin was unearthed at the site of one of the oldest Dominican monasteries on Poland’s southern Baltic coast and was discovered by Maciej Ruzik—a member of Poland’s Exploration Association. 

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Ruzik had been out looking for historical artifacts and his stunning find was described by museum officials as “incredible” according to a CBS News report.

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The story of how the coin was discovered was explained by Ruzik to a local news outlet. He and others had been searching the ground with metal detectors when a very intense signal appeared on their equipment. 

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“We are very emotional about finding it, because it is a great discovery,” Ruzik said according to a translation of his comments from Google. But the coin was a lot more interesting than anyone knew at that time. 

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Museum officials told the same local news outlet that the golden ducat was unique and the first find of its kind in Poland. The mystery of how the coin ended up in Kamień Pomorsk is unknown and may never be solved.  

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“It was certainly lost, probably during that period, and discovered only in 2024,” said Grzegorz Kurka, Director of the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land in Kamień Pomorski, according to a Google translation of his comments quoted by RMF24. 

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“The history of the coin itself, its loss and its holder during that period is probably very interesting,” Kurka added, “It was certainly a great loss for the person who lost this coin.” But what do we know about the coin?

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As previously stated, the golden coin was produced in The Netherlands and dated back to 1777. But it also was quite unique according to CBS News, which reported that similar coins had been distributed in Poland in the 1830s. 

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However, the 1830s coins did not feature a knight, an image pictured on the gold coin unearthed by Ruzik, but rather a small Polish eagle. The knight on Ruzik’s coin was his sword and was quite detailed. 

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The front of the golden ducat had the year it was produced inscribed on it and the words: “In harmony even from small things great grow,” CBS News noted. However, it was the other side of the coin that was the most interesting.

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On the reverse side of the coin was another inscription, one that may have helped historians track down exactly where the coin came from. However,  CBS News did not provide a transition for the inscription, but Polish museum officials did note some interesting details about the reverse side of the coin.  

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The coin had short-form phrases written on its reverse side that indicated it may hailed from the area known as Belgium at the time. It was also issued by an organization and had a phrase that could mean something along the lines of according to the laws of the empire.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Rijksmuseum, CC0

“In general, golden ducats were strong currency used in international trade for centuries. The elaborately decorated coins were accepted around the world,” wrote CBS News’ Kerry Breen, adding that The Netherlands still mints golden coins annually.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Emanuel de Witte, Geheugen van Nederland, Public Domain

“Their reputation was strong because of their dependable content and weight,” the Dutch Royal Mint noted according to the Miami Herald. “The Dutch Golden Ducat therefore became one of the most important trade coins in the world.”

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Numisantica. CC BY-SA 3.0 nl