27 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Largest Medieval Coins Treasure found in Recent Decades discovered in Germany

Archaeologists have unearthed one of the largest medieval coin hoards, consisting of approximately 1,600 coins, in recent years in the village of Glottertal in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald region of Germany.

This remarkable discovery provides a unique window into the economic activities of Europe in the fourteenth century and illuminates the minting industry, silver trade, and wider circulation of money in Breisgau.

According to a press statement issued by the State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council, the hoard was unearthed during construction works while excavating a trench.

The treasure was discovered by Claus Völker, a local citizen who was assisting with the laying of a pipeline near the village swimming pool in early May 2024, records a press release.

Most of the coins were minted around 1320. Type Breisach coins. Photo: State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council
Most of the coins were minted around 1320. Type Breisach coins. Photo: State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council

Völker caught sight of what he initially described as “small metal plates” within the excavation. He reported the discovery to the Stuttgart Regional Council’s State Office for Monument Preservation (LAD) as soon as he realized the objects’ possible significance. The same day, Völker and LAD archaeologists visited the site the same day to recover the coins and discovered a whopping 1000 coins.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



At the same time, three detectors certified by the LAD were assigned to search for the loot. The interior of the trench became a knee-deep quagmire due to bad weather, but the determined researchers managed to find an additional 600 coins in the small window that was open to them.

Initial examination and cleaning of the coins indicated where they came from. The bulk of the coins, according to LAD archaeologist Andreas Haasis-Berner, were struck circa 1320 and originated from a number of well-known mints, including Breisach, Zofingen, and Freiburg. There were also coins from Colmar, Laufenburg, Zurich, Basel, and St. Gallen.

The coins came from a wide variety of sources in the region. Type Zofingen coins. Photo: State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council
The coins came from a wide variety of sources in the region. Type Zofingen coins. Photo: State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council

Commenting on the significance of the find, Haasis-Berner explained: ‘Analysing this coin hoard will provide information about the circulation of coins in Breisgau, the minting activity in the mints, the silver trade and also mining in the Glottertal valley.’ When asked whether the treasure was very valuable at the time, the archaeologist said: ‘You could have bought around 150 sheep with the coins.’

This wide variety of coins bears witness to the wide-ranging commerce networks and currency exchange that existed in the area in the early 14th century. Because of the wealth and power of the cities that produced them, every coin tells a tale about the political and economic environments of medieval Europe.

Officials described the artifacts as one of the largest coin treasures found in recent decades. Of course, this description is a small number compared to the more than 100,000,000 coins in Japan on 4 November 2023, some of which are more than 2000 thousand years old.

Stuttgart Regional Council

Cover Image: State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council

Related Articles

A unique bone Scythian scepter from the 5th century BC was discovered in Northeast Bulgaria

1 October 2023

1 October 2023

A unique bone scepter belonging to a Scythian warlord from the 5th century BC was discovered during excavations in the...

3000-year-old clay figurine discovered in Germany may be a prehistoric water goddess

14 July 2022

14 July 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a rare clay figurine thought to represent a prehistoric water goddess in the Schweinfurt region of Germany....

Medieval Love badge with the written “Love conquers all” discovered in Poland

18 February 2024

18 February 2024

Polish archaeologists have discovered a late medieval badge: a piece of tin shaped into a turtle dover and with the...

Pendants and beads reveal nine European Cultures living across the continent 30,000 years ago

1 February 2024

1 February 2024

In a new study, researchers have constructed a continent-wide database of personal ornaments worn by Europeans 34,000-24,000 years ago, a...

Exceptional Intact Etruscan Rock-Cut Tomb Discovered in Italy’s San Giuliano Necropolis

30 June 2025

30 June 2025

A remarkable discovery has emerged from the heart of Etruria: an intact Etruscan rock-cut tomb, sealed for over 2,700 years,...

Citizen scientists discover more than 1,000 new burial mounds in a Dutch archaeological project

29 January 2023

29 January 2023

A Dutch archaeological project in which thousands of amateur sleuths combed specialized maps and high resolution photographs resulted in the...

1,000-Year-Old Mass Grave in Peru Shows Victims Bludgeoned with Star-Headed Maces

26 May 2025

26 May 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Wrocław have uncovered a 1,000-year-old mass grave at the El Curaca site in southern Peru,...

Jiroft: The Mysterious Rival of Mesopotamia and the Dawn of an Ancient Civilization

24 March 2025

24 March 2025

Recent archaeological discoveries in southeast Iran are reshaping our understanding of early civilizations, particularly the Jiroft Civilization, which thrived around...

A collection of 430 burial objects found in the tomb of a 3000-year-old Noblewoman in China

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

A tomb belonging to a noblewoman dating back about 3,000 years has been unearthed in North China’s Shanxi Province. The...

Underwater Archaeologists discovered World’s Largest and Oldest ancient shipyard on Dana Island, Türkiye

31 October 2023

31 October 2023

The ruins of the world’s largest and oldest ancient shipyard were found in the north of the island of Dana,...

The Oldest Evidence of Stone Blade Production in Southern Arabia: 80,000-Year-Old Stone Blades Discovered

21 February 2025

21 February 2025

An international team of researchers led by Knut Bretzke of Friedrich Schiller University Jena uncovered 80,000-year-old stone blades at the...

Remains of 2 houses belonging to the founding period of the city were unearthed in the ancient city of Hierapolis

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

During this year’s excavations in the ancient city of Hierapolis-Pamukkale in Turkey’s Aegean province Denizli, the remains of two houses...

Derinkuyu: A Subterranean Marvel of Ancient Engineering with 18 Levels and Capacity for 20,000 Inhabitants

2 May 2025

2 May 2025

Beneath the sun-drenched plains of Cappadocia, where otherworldly “fairy chimney” rock formations pierce the sky, lies a secret world carved...

Tomb of an Urartian buried with his dog, cattle, sheep, and 4 horses unearthed

6 September 2021

6 September 2021

In ancient times, the dead were buried with their living and non-living things. The offerings placed as dead gifts varied...

Unusual Iron Age Female Grave Found in Pryssgården, Sweden

3 November 2024

3 November 2024

In an Iron Age cemetery in Sweden, archaeologists found a woman’s grave buried with a small needle and an iron...