Dutch Treasure Hunter Discovers 13th Century Trove

The treasures have been put on display at the Netherlands’ National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden where they are expected to be available for perusal until at least mid-June.

A veritable trove of gold and silver artefacts dating back several hundred years has been discovered in the Netherlands by a dedicated enthusiast with a metal detector.

The items found include four decorated gold pendants shaped as crescent moon, two strips of golden leaf and 39 small silver coins from the first half of the 13th century, with the jewelry appearing to be older than the coins by about two hundred years.

"Golden jewelry like this belonged only to the highest social classes, so this could have belonged to someone with great wealth and power, maybe even to the countess of Holland," Lorenzo Ruijter, the historian and metal detector enthusiast who found the artefacts, told one media outlet.

The "newest coin" contained in the cache "is from 1247 or 1248," Ruijter said, adding that the engravings on the jewelry seem typical to the Friesland area.

The items have been put on display at the Netherlands’ National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden where they are expected to be available for visitors to see until mid-June.