Posted on 05/12/2025 3:35:51 PM PDT by george76
An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure.
Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania..
Mangeac said that he found the coins “on a beautiful Saturday that didn’t foreshadow anything of what was to come.”
“I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests,”..
“I didn’t think this day would surprise me and bring me face to face with history.”
But suddenly his metal detector began beeping – and soon, Mangeac was looking at a hoard of 1,469 Roman coins.
Seeing the silver denarii, Mangeac said that his heart “[was] beating quite hard.”
“[I] even thought about pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,”
...
The discovery was made in a field near the village of Letca Veche.
...
Mangeac estimated that the coins are at least 2,000 years old.
After two strenuous days of photographing the coins, he handed them over to the town hall in Letca Nouă.
...
I hope that one day I can take my child to the museum and explain to him how I was lucky enough to discover a page of our people’s history.”
Mangeac’s discovery comes weeks after a pair of metal detectorists found ancient treasure in the Romanian commune of Breaza in Transylvania.
The treasure dated back to the Dacians, who unsuccessfully warred against the Roman Empire in the second century A.D.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Once the hoard’s value is estimated, the finder will be legally entitled to a reward of up to 45% of the assessed value, which in this case is sure to be substantial.
https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/73133
I’m ready to watch it all over again. The DETAILS in each episode were just amazing.
And the final scene? Well worth the price of admission.
I flat-out LOVE those guys! *HEART*
OK. So I was being GENEROUS, LOL!
I told Beau that we need to keep all of our pennies from 1981 and before. Those have the most Copper in them.
When President Trump makes it LEGAL to smelt pennies again - and don’t think he WON’T - I’ll be ready! ;)
Yup. It was thoroughly engaging. It all added up, and that ending!! Then, upon watching the ending it made you think back over all that you had just watched and realize how it had all been pieced together. It stayed with me quite a while. And beautiful scenery. Clever/witty dialogue. A very well put together thoughtful project.
Rumania, being part of the former Soviet system may have some rather nasty laws for “stealing” state treasures. If he is luck he will get a percentage of the treasure or it’s value.
Actually, a wheat penny can sometimes be worth something. The important thing is the date, mint mark, and condition. You can actually look on line for coin values. Ask.Google, for coin type, in this case “Wheat Penny, current values.” There are sites which tell you how to judge the grade of the coin, which can range from Good - 8, and higher. With Good you can read the date of the coin, but there is quite a lot of wear. Values go up to Mint Proof and Uncirculated, with numbers in the 60s.
Rumania, being part of the former Soviet system may have some rather nasty laws for “stealing” state treasures. If he is luck he will get a percentage of the treasure or it’s value.
Actually, a wheat penny can sometimes be worth something. The important thing is the date, mint mark, and condition. You can actually look on line for coin values. Ask.Google, for coin type, in this case “Wheat Penny, current values.” There are sites which tell you how to judge the grade of the coin, which can range from Good - 8, and higher. With Good you can read the date of the coin, but there is quite a lot of wear. Values go up to Mint Proof and Uncirculated, with numbers in the 60s. I have some old large pennies which my father found when he was living and trapping in Arizone during the depression. One was 1822 and very worn. Several others are in the 1840s and fairly good condition.
Yep. You’ve told me this, before. I should just send the pounds and pounds of pennies I have to you, LOL!
Why couldn’t he have left me a few pounds of 1800’s mint-condition Silver Dollars? ;)
Dacian silver treasure found in Romania
April 13, 2025
https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72903
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