Hobbyist finds 934 Roman silver coins from Hadrian's era near Wesseling, south of Cologne

Right · 2A licensed metal detectorist, Oliver Riedl, found 934 Roman silver denarii in a field near Wesseling, south of Cologne, Germany. 1 2 Right · 2The find was made in 2025, but officials announced it only recently. They called it the largest coin hoard from the reign of Emperor Hadrian ever found in Germany. 1 2 Right · 2Riedl told the AP that his detector kept signalling, so he suspected more coins lay beneath the surface and alerted the archaeological authorities. 1 2

Right · 2The LVR Office for the Preservation of Archaeological Monuments in the Rhineland said the coins were probably buried deliberately between 125 and 150 A.D. The hoard weighs about 6.8 pounds and is on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. 1 2 Right · 1Breitbart, citing a Popular Mechanics report on the museum's findings, says the oldest coin was minted in 148 B.C.E. and most date to 69–96 C.E. The newest was minted in 124 or 125 C.E. Erich Classen, director of the LVR-State Service for Archaeological Heritage, called it the largest hoard of this period in Germany and the fifth-largest worldwide. 2 Right · 2Johannes Wienand, professor of ancient history at the Technical University of Braunschweig, was not involved in the find. He described it as a "time capsule" of everyday money and suggested it may have been one person's life savings, put in a pot and buried but never recovered. 1 2

Right · 1Wienand estimated a Roman legionary earned about 300 denarii gross a year, so the hoard equalled roughly three years of a soldier's pay. He said the owner's identity is unknown, though the nearby Rhine frontier, Cologne and the Bonn legionary fortress make a military link possible. 1 Right · 1Wienand also said the case shows the value of responsible detecting: Riedl was licensed, had permission and reported the find immediately. 1