Construction workers renovating a building in Belgium have uncovered more than 40 gold bars and at least 4,000 old coins hidden inside a cellar wall. Reports estimate the cache is worth about €9 million ($10 million).
Workers found the valuables at a property in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, part of Dendermonde in East Flanders. The building is used by social welfare organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
Authorities have not determined who hid the treasure, when it was concealed, or how old the coins are. Police have secured the gold while prosecutors investigate its origin and legal ownership.
Workers uncover gold during renovation
Workers from construction company De Brand discovered renovation and demolition work. The find began while they were carrying out groundworks for a sewer pipe.
Kobe, an 18-year-old worker, told VRT NWS that coins began appearing after part of the foundations was removed. “At first I thought they were €1 coins,” he said.
Workers then uncovered pieces of gold and numerous bars. Site manager Mario said the team continued finding coins and ingots as it examined the area.
The valuables had been placed in a chest concealed within the cellar structure. A similar discovery was made in England, where a couple found hundreds of gold coins hidden beneath their kitchen floor during renovation work. The gold bars are reportedly numbered, although authorities have not released details about their markings.
Archaeological questions remain
The way the valuables were deposited raises archaeological questions. Collections of coins, precious metals and other valuables deliberately hidden together are commonly described as hoards. Such deposits can sometimes reflect attempts to protect wealth during warfare, political unrest or economic crisis.
A similar case emerged in Russia, where hundreds of gold coins were discovered hidden beneath a house, with researchers examining why the valuable collection had been concealed.
However, experts have not yet established whether the Dendermonde discovery is an archaeologically significant hoard. Authorities have not released a formal identification of the coins or details about their dates, denominations, rulers or mints.
Those details could help establish when the collection was assembled. If the coins are relatively modern, the explanation for the hidden gold could be much more recent.
The workers informed their employer, the building owner, and police after making the discovery. Police later moved the gold to a secure location. The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office is investigating its provenance and ownership.
Police investigate origin and ownership
Investigators are not assuming the valuables are historical. Geert Hillaert of CAW Oost-Vlaanderen said they could potentially be linked to fraudulent or illegal activity.
Reports say a brewer lived in the building around 1900. However, there is no evidence connecting that resident or period to the treasure.
It also remains unclear who will receive the valuables. The workers have expressed hope for a finder’s reward, but no decision has been announced. CAW Oost-Vlaanderen said it would use the money to expand assistance for homeless and vulnerable people across East Flanders if the organization ultimately receives the treasure or its value.
The discovery has attracted curious visitors and would-be treasure hunters. Police have warned people to stay away because demolition work, excavations and heavy machinery make the property dangerous. Authorities said the site has been thoroughly searched and no additional treasure is expected.
Coins could reveal when treasure was hidden
The coins may now provide the strongest clues to the cache’s history. Their inscriptions, portraits, mint marks and dates could help investigators establish when the collection was accumulated.
In another case, Moroccan gold coins helped researchers identify a historic shipwreck off England, showing how coin evidence can help narrow the date and identity of an archaeological find. Markings on the numbered gold bars could also help trace their manufacturer or circulation.
Until experts identify the objects, investigators cannot determine whether the treasure was hidden more than a century ago or under much more recent circumstances.
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