Austrian authorities reveal find of buried treasure (650 years old)

Associated Press ^ | April 22, 2011 | GEORGE JAHN

[decimon]

VIENNA – A man turning dirt in his back yard stumbled onto buried treasure — hundreds of pieces of centuries-old jewelry and other precious objects that Austrian authorities described Friday as a fairy-tale find.

Austria's department in charge of national antiquities said the trove consists of more than 200 rings, brooches, ornate belt buckles, gold-plated silver plates and other pieces or fragments, many encrusted with pearls, fossilized coral and other ornaments. It says the objects are about 650 years old and are being evaluated for their provenance and worth.

[decimon]

Ping

[cradle of freedom]

Is this finders keepers?

[arrogantsob]

Wow from about 1400. Before Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Moslems still controlled half of Spain and the Church all of Europe.

[GeronL]

I wonder what the law is in Austria about finding treasure.

[decimon]

The last sentence would indicate he owns the find. But I don’t know.

[muawiyah]

The Church did not control the Sapma in the far North. Most Sa'ami at that time were still pagan unless they'd moved South into Christian areas.

Hard to believe eh?

The Vikings had not yet conducted their last funeral for a Viking Chief on a river in Russia complete with human sacrifice. Mongols were in residence throughout the Golden Horde and many of them were hard core pagans, or even Buddhists. The Mongols in Bulgaria were not exactly Eastern Orthodox either although they were nominal Christians of some kind.

Quick, weren't there still Moslems in Southern Spain?

[muawiyah]

I think the EU has a common law on these issues of who owns the finds. It supports both the British position and that of the Greeks when it comes to the Elgin marbles.

So who knows who owns what!

[Sawdring]

Is this finders keepers?

I laugh whenever someone says that. When my boy was four he found something on the ground and said, "Finders keepers, losers sweepers."

[SunkenCiv]

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[Perdogg]

Was the Spear of Density included in the find?

[Perdogg]

sorry...that’s ‘Spear of Destiny’

[Windflier]

Is this finders keepers?

Surely, you jest. The state will take their cut and leave the finder with what they deem is "fair".

[MestaMachine]

Austria is the only european country that allows you to keep what you find. You turn it in, it’s cleaned, authenticated, and catalogued, and then it’s yours.

[Gator113]

I hope he gets to keep it.

[Gator113]

I hope he gets to keep it.

[decimon]

Was the Spear of Density included in the find?

The 'spear of density' is what strikes me when I post too late at night.

[GeronL]

does he only pay income tax if he sells the stuff?

[MestaMachine]

They will tax him to death.

[Pharmboy]

Ring and brooch