Austrian man hits pay dirt in backyard
Source: Agencies |
April 24, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A MAN turning dirt in his backyard stumbled onto buried treasure - hundreds of pieces of centuries-old jewelry and other precious objects that Austrian authorities described on Friday as a fairy-tale find.
Austria's department in charge of national antiquities said the trove consists of more than 200 rings, brooches, ornate belt buckles, gold-plated silver plates and other pieces or fragments, many encrusted with pearls, fossilized coral and other ornaments. It says the objects are about 650 years old and are being evaluated for their provenance and worth.
While not assigning a monetary value to the buried bling, the enthusiastic language from the normally staid Federal Office for Memorials reflected the significance it attached to the discovery.
"Fairy tales still exist!" said its statement. "Private individual finds sensational treasure in garden."
It described the ornaments as "one of the qualitatively most significant discoveries of medieval treasure in Austria."
The statement gave no details but the Austria Press Agency cited memorials office employee Karin Derler as saying the man came across the "breathtaking" objects years ago while digging in his backyard to expand a small pond. Profil magazine identified the man only as Andreas K from Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, and said he asked not to be named.
While he found the ornaments in 2007, Andreas K did not report it to the memorials office until after rediscovering the dirt-encrusted objects in a basement box while packing up after selling his house two years ago, said Profil.
Austria's department in charge of national antiquities said the trove consists of more than 200 rings, brooches, ornate belt buckles, gold-plated silver plates and other pieces or fragments, many encrusted with pearls, fossilized coral and other ornaments. It says the objects are about 650 years old and are being evaluated for their provenance and worth.
While not assigning a monetary value to the buried bling, the enthusiastic language from the normally staid Federal Office for Memorials reflected the significance it attached to the discovery.
"Fairy tales still exist!" said its statement. "Private individual finds sensational treasure in garden."
It described the ornaments as "one of the qualitatively most significant discoveries of medieval treasure in Austria."
The statement gave no details but the Austria Press Agency cited memorials office employee Karin Derler as saying the man came across the "breathtaking" objects years ago while digging in his backyard to expand a small pond. Profil magazine identified the man only as Andreas K from Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, and said he asked not to be named.
While he found the ornaments in 2007, Andreas K did not report it to the memorials office until after rediscovering the dirt-encrusted objects in a basement box while packing up after selling his house two years ago, said Profil.
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