A stash of 409 gold coins has been found beneath a house in Torzhok, Russia, where it had been hidden for over a century. Discovered during excavations in 2025, the hoard seems linked to the turmoil of the 1917 Revolution, and to someone who never came back to collect it.
The discovery took place in the Tver region during rescue excavations carried out ahead of a construction project. The work was conducted by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum.
The excavation was carried out on Sadovaya Street, one of the oldest areas of the city. The location lies just 60 meters from the former Dmitrievskaya Church, which was demolished in the early 1930s.
A Broken Pot Full of Gold
The coins were discovered beneath the stone foundation of a wooden house destroyed during World War II and later rebuilt. While dismantling part of the structure, archaeologists uncovered fragments of a ceramic container hidden under the stones.
The vessel, identified as a“kandyushka,” was a small glazed pot typically used for storage. As reported in a translated statement published by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
“Gold coins spilled from the broken pot during foundation removal work. The pot was a clay jar with a handle and a brown-yellow glaze, known as a kandyushka according to ethnographic sources.”
Its placement leaves little doubt that this was a deliberate attempt to conceal something valuable. The excavation covered about 252 square meters, and the find emerged near the center of the site.
Coins From the Last Years of the Empire
The hoard includes 409 gold coins minted between 1848 and 1911, spanning the reigns of Nicholas I to Nicholas II. Most are 10-ruble coins, widely used in the final decades of the Russian Empire. The report noted that the treasure contains 10 coins of 5 rubles, 2 coins of 7.5 rubles, 387 coins of 10 rubles, and 10 coins of 15 rubles.
“The total value of the coins in the treasure amounts to 4,070 gold rubles. The hoard was likely hidden during or after the revolutionary events of 1917. Apparently, its owner never came back to retrieve it,” the researchers said.
Specialists examining the collection noted thatthe most recent coin dates to 1911, suggesting the treasure was buried only a few years before the 1917 Revolution. In that period, many people hid their savings to protect them from theft or confiscation. Finds of this kind remain rare. Gold coins were often reused or later recovered, making untouched hoards like this particularly uncommon.
A Mystery Rooted in Incomplete Records
The identity of the owner remains unknown. Historical records indicate that between 1914 and 1921, the street was home to 24 households, including priests, merchants, craftsmen, and clerks. Comparing historical documents to current locations isn’t straightforward, which means the trail doesn’t go very far.
Researchers classify the find as a “return hoard,” meaning it was hidden with the intention of being retrieved later. For reasons likely tied to the upheaval of the time, that never happened. After conservation and study, the coins are expected to be displayed at the All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum in Torzhok.
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