Join Amazon Prime for exclusive deals, fast shipping, and endless entertainment! Sign up now!
Talk about lucky. While playing in the sandbox at his primary school in Germany back in August 2022, this young 8-year-old boy made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. A silver coin that dates back 1,800 years was found among the sand and after rushing home to show his family the unique treasure, experts were able to identify the artifact.
Apparently the coin is a Roman denarius minted during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus from A.D. 161 to 180. This extremely rare find was praised by state archaeologists for its “alertness and curiosity” and now stands as one of few such coins ever discovered in Bremen.
At 2.4 grams, the coin was heavily worn due to its age and a time period known as “coin deterioration” when the Roman Empire decreased the silver content of its currency due to inflation.
The find is particularly special because Bremen is not located within any part of ancient Rome and would have likely been inhabited instead by the Chauci – an ancient Germanic tribe who were known for trading with Romans – which could explain how this coin wound up buried where it did.
Unfortunately for young Bjarne, he won’t be able to keep this lucky silver coin as all such finds belong to the state per their Monument Protection Act.
However, state archaeologists still plan on rewarding him with two archaeology books in recognition of his impressive discovery and alertness.
It’s expected that this relic will eventually be placed at Focke Museum in Bremen under Uta Halle’s department of prehistory and early history.
