A selection of artifacts unearthed at the Hezingen site

Cool Finds

Elite Germanic Pagans Buried ‘Devil’s Money’ as Offerings for Their Gods at This Ancient Cult Site

Researchers excavated the deposits of coins and jewelry in the Netherlands, near the German border

The 404 coins discovered in a muddy field near Bunnik, a village in the Netherlands, in 2023 and 2024

Cool Finds

Two Metal Detectorists in the Netherlands Stumbled Onto Hundreds of Looted Coins From the Roman Conquest of Britain

The 404 coins, including 44 from Britain, are believed to be a mix of military pay and the spoils of war, stashed by a Roman soldier after he returned to the European continent

The coins are marked with the faces of nine Roman emperors.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 141 Ancient Gold Coins Depicting Nine Roman Emperors in Luxembourg

Three of the coins are particularly rare: They portray Eugenius, an illegitimate emperor who reigned for just two years in the late fourth century C.E.

The eye on the coin does not have lashes and is designed to resemble a camera lens.

George Orwell Gets His Own £2 Coin Featuring an All-Seeing Eye

Inscribed with quotes from “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” the Royal Mint’s latest release honors the author on the 75th anniversary of his death

Researchers think there may be as many as 20 graves at the site in southwest Norway.

Metal Detectorists Discover 1,200-Year-Old Graves That May Have Belonged to High-Status Viking Women

Excavations in Norway revealed a rich variety of artifacts, including jewelry, textile tools and stones positioned in the shape of a ship

Experts debate whether this bust depicts Cleopatra. 

Does This Peculiar Statue Found at an Ancient Egyptian Temple Really Depict Cleopatra?

Experts on the hunt for the queen’s tomb believe that they’ve found a small bust of her—but not everyone agrees

This gold ring features an engraving of Venus Victrix, or Venus the Victorious, a Romanized aspect of the goddess associated with imperial power and romantic conquests alike.

Cool Finds

Exceptionally Well-Preserved Gold Ring Featuring ‘Venus the Victorious’ Unearthed on Ancient Road in France

In addition to the 1,800-year-old piece of engraved jewelry, archaeologists discovered a trove of Carolingian coins, medieval pottery and more

Volunteers in Pennsylvania discovered a valuable Elizabeth II coin wrapped up in a dollar bill in one of their red kettles.

Anonymous Donors Across the Country Are Dropping Valuable Coins Into the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles

Many donors search their pockets for spare change, but some generous individuals are giving away historic coins worth thousands of dollars during the charity’s annual fundraising campaign

Fascinating finds unveiled in 2024 ranged from a jade Maya funerary mask to a Roman dodecahedron.

Cool Finds

Seventy-Seven Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2024, From a Mysterious ‘Anomaly’ Near the Great Pyramid of Giza to a Missing Portrait of Henry VIII

The year’s most exciting discoveries included musket balls fired in the early days of the American Revolution, a lost composition by Mozart and a medieval chess piece

This gold aureus featuring an image of Brutus was minted shortly after Caesar's death.

A Rare Coin Depicting Brutus, Caesar’s Infamous Assassin, Sells for $2 Million

Following the murder in 44 B.C.E., Brutus minted the gold aureus to promote his own image and celebrate his military victories

While roughly three dozen of the stolen coins have been recovered, 13 are still at large.

A Trove of Gold Coins Stolen From 300-Year-Old Florida Shipwrecks Has Been Recovered by Investigators

Contracted divers found 101 gold coins from the wreckage of a Spanish fleet in 2015, but they only reported 51 to authorities. Now, 37 of the stolen coins have been found

The coin features the bust of Honorius on one side. The other side depicts a person holding a banner or flag with a cross on it.

Cool Finds

This Mysterious Gold Pendant Featuring a Misspelled Inscription Is an Early Medieval Imitation of a Roman Coin

A metal detectorist in England discovered the unusual piece of jewelry, which was likely made in the late fifth or early sixth century C.E.

One side of the coin is stamped with a simple "NE" to represent New England, while the other side features Roman numerals to denote its value.

American Colonists Minted This Humble Silver Coin in 1652. It Just Sold for $2.52 Million

Settlers in Massachusetts needed cash, but England wouldn’t send any. So, they created their own mint in Boston and began making coins

The laptop that belonged to Chris Janczewski, former IRS-CI agent

A Federal Agent’s Laptop Held the Keys to Seize $3.6 Billion in Stolen Bitcoin. Here’s How It Ended Up at the Smithsonian

Soon to be on display at the National Museum of American History, the laptop is the centerpiece of a criminal case that shows an evolving understanding of cryptocurrency

Father-and-son duo Sławomir and Szymon Milewski discovered the coins while searching for an ancient road.

Cool Finds

Father and Son Discover Rare Trove of 16th- and 17th-Century Silver Coins While Metal Detecting in a Polish Forest

Sławomir and Szymon Milewski were searching for an ancient road when they stumbled upon the cache of coins, which is worth more than $120,000

Only two 1975 "no S" proof dimes of this kind are known to exist.

Three Sisters in Ohio Just Sold a Rare 1975 Dime With a Missing ‘S’ Mint Mark for $500,000

The owners inherited the valuable coin from their brother, who kept it locked in a bank vault for decades. He purchased it with his mother in 1978 to provide financial security for the family farm

A group of metal detectorists discovered the hoard of coins in southern England in 2019.

Cool Finds

An Astonishing Trove of Coins Dating to the Norman Conquest Just Became the Most Valuable Treasure Ever Found in Britain

The so-called Chew Valley Hoard, which just sold for a record $5.6 million, includes 2,584 coins featuring the likenesses of Harold II, William the Conqueror and Edward the Confessor

The 36 silver coins, minted between 1000 to 1065 C.E., have been declared official treasure. 

Metal Detectorists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Viking Coins on a Small Island in the Irish Sea

Experts say that the trove of silver currency is official treasure and includes coins from England and Ireland

A view from the webcast of the 34th First Annual Ig Nobel Ceremony.

Anus-Breathing Animals and Pigeon-Guided Missiles: Ig Nobel Prizes Reward Unusual but Valuable Science

The annual award ceremony featured costumes, songs and paper airplanes as scientists recognized comedic research across ten disciplines

The coins were minted between 94 B.C.E. and 74 B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Rare Trove of Silver Coins on Mediterranean Island

The 27 Roman denarii found on the island of Pantelleria date back more than 2,000 years

Page 1 of 5