How an amateur found Germany’s biggest hoard of Roman silver coins

An amateur archaeologist who discovered several Roman silver coins in a field in western Germany realized he had stumbled upon something bigger when his metal detector kept beeping. Oliver Riedl called the authorities for help and a group of experts who began digging immediately discovered a total of 934 Roman silver denarii. It is the biggest coin treasure ever found in Germany from the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian, the local office in charge of archaeological monuments said Tuesday.“It was clear to me that there was something bigger buried here,” Riedl said, describing how his metal detector continued signaling even after he had found several coins near Wesseling, south of Cologne a year ago.The hoard of coins, which weighs 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds), went on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn on Tuesday.The collection of coins was probably buried deliberately in the second quarter of the second century A.D., according to the LVR Office for the Preservation of Archaeological Monuments in the Rhineland. Story continues below advertisement FILE – Roman coins are on display at the LVR State Museum in Bonn, Germany, Tuesday Sept. 22, 2026. Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP “Of course, w...