Significant gold discoveries in Austria & Germany
Since August 2023, one can marvel at the "Gold Treasure of Ebreichsdorf" in the Gold Cabinet at the Natural History Museum in Vienna. The gold treasure had archaeologists in 2019 / 2020 near the Lower Austrian municipality lifted, after the ÖBB in the course of construction work on settlement remains from the Bronze Age had come across.
The treasure consists of 5 parts, a gold bowl and several golden wires and threads, which are probably fragments of golden jewelry.
Significant gold finds in the German-speaking region
Many people dream of finding a real treasure. In fact, archaeologists, treasure hunters and probe hunters, but also construction crews or farmers find real, historical gold treasures again and again. And the gold treasure of Ebreichsdorf shows that real treasures can also be found in Austria.
Here with us in the German-speaking area, these mostly come from Celts or Romans. One of the most important gold finds in the German-speaking world is certainly the Celtic gold treasure of Manching, which was found in 1999 near the Bavarian Ingolstadt and consisted of 483 gold coins. (In the winter of 2022, the treasure was stolen from the museum).
The treasure of gold coins from Trier dates back to Roman times. In the course of a both archaeologists and amateur treasure hunters examined excavation pit and the excavated earth and discovered Roman gold coins with a total weight of about 18.5 kg.
Like the treasure of Ebreichsdorf, namely from the Bronze Age, on the other hand, come the "gold hats". These high cones are made of one piece of gold sheet and impress with their elaborate decoration, from complex patterns and engravings. 3 of 4 known gold hats were found during field and construction work in Germany and France.
What treasure hunters should know
Anyone who now wants to go treasure hunting themselves should be aware of the legal situation. It may be tempting to simply set off with a metal detector, but you should always have the consent of the property owner when searching for buried treasure. To dig up a suspected treasure, however, you need the permission of the Federal Office for the Protection of Monuments.
If you are lucky enough to actually discover a treasure, in Austria the finder and the landowner are each entitled to half of the treasure.
In Germany, the legal situation is more complex. Treasure hunters must report a find, and the treasure registry usually makes the state the owner.
Turn your gold treasure into money
But even without a metal detector, you may come across a gold treasure. Perhaps in your jewelry box or a drawer at home is a valuable gold treasure that you have forgotten all these years!?
Out of fashion or inherited gold jewelry you can always sell at Gold&Co. and turn into cash.
