Fake-treasure hunters find real buried treasure

Talk about good fortune. Participants at a mock treasure hunt in Wilp (Gelderland) have ended up finding real buried treasure yesterday.

Equipped with metal detectors, more than 200 people rummaged through a parcel of land where a farmer had hidden fake coins. Prizes for the winners of the most coins ranged from detectors to detectors’ T-shirts.

Roy Hutters who organized the event said that some participants stumbled onto real coins, up to 200 years old. One lucky participants found 85 copper coins just a few centimeters below surface on a farm at Zwarte Kolkstraat.

“It is really remarkable to find so many coins in one single spot,” said Hutters. “Especially since this land is plowed every year.”

Archeologists who were part of the organization say the coins probably date from 1700 to 1830. It was not immediately clear what the coins were worth. The finder was allowed to take his treasure home with him.