A man with metal detector just made a stunning historical find

A man armed with a metal detector on a mission to unearth historical artifacts in Poland discovered an interesting golden coin in February 2023. The coin did not come from the region and revealed the rich history of Europe’s past. 

The coin in question was a golden ducat that hailed from The Netherlands. Officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land revealed in a social media post the coin was rather old. It had been minted all the way back in 1777. 

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Discovered at the site of one of the oldest Dominican monasteries on Poland’s southern Baltic coast, the golden ducat was unearthed by Polish citizen 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, and added the golden ducat prices Kamień Pomorski’s “incredibly rich history.”

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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 explained according to a translation of his comments from Google. However, the coin is a lot more interesting than you probably think. 

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

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“It was certainly lost, probably during that period, and discovered only in 2024,” revealed 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.” So what do we know about this golden coin?

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As previously stated, the golden coin was produced in The Netherlands and dates back to 1777. But it also is quite unique according to CBS News, which reported 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 Maciej Ruzik but rather a small Polish eagle. The knight on Ruzik’s coin is holding his sword above his head. 

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The front of the golden duct has the year it was produced inscribed on it as well as the words: “In harmony even from small things great grow.” CBS News noted. But the other side of the coin may be the most interesting. 

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On the reverse side of the coin is another inscription, one that could help track down the province in which the coin was produced. However, a translation for the words was not provided by CBS News but Polish museum officials did note some details. 

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The coin has short-form phrases written on its reverse side that indicate it may hail from the area of Belgium at the time, was issued by a certain organization, and had a phrase that could mean 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