According to specialists, an abundance of gold and silver coins, which authorities believe were stolen from a sick populace in the 18th century by a fraud artist, have been discovered in central Poland. The treasure was discovered by volunteer metal detectorists in the Jeleniowskie mountain range, with authorization from the local government. Its existence appears to confirm a centuries-old legend. The treasure was concealed underground in multiple locations.
The Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Kielce, a city located near the mountain range, announced the discovery of a collection of coins from the 17th and early 18th centuries. The coins will be subjected to a more thorough examination this year. Nevertheless, heritage officials and explorers have conjectured that the treasure may serve as evidence that the legends surrounding the notorious Polish swindle artist Anthony Jaczewicz are founded in actual history.
In an interview with the government-supported Polish scientific organization PAP, Sebastian Grabowiec, the leader of the exploration team that discovered the coins, proposed that the coins may be a component of the fabled treasure that Jaczewicz had accumulated.
Jaczewicz is believed to have arrived in the Świětokrzyskie Mountains, which are part of the Jeleniowskie range, around 1708. He established a form of settlement in the region in conjunction with Poland’s involvement in a significant conflict that involved the majority of the region’s major powers and a deadly and widespread plague outbreak. Jaczewicz, a minister who made unfounded assertions of possessing divine healing abilities during a period when such skills were in high demand, was sought out by many as the disease spread and caused dread among the populace.
He was not the only individual who endeavored to exploit the apprehensions of impoverished civilians regarding the potential transmission of the epidemic. Nevertheless, authorities maintain that, in contrast to the legend, individuals converged on Jaczewicz’s mountain retreat in anticipation of obtaining his curative abilities. Additionally, they compensated him for his services.
It seems that Jaczewicz’s scheme was so successful that donations poured into his settlement, allowing him to ultimately employ guards to fortify it. Subsequently, these guardians perpetrated thefts against individuals in the vicinity, occasionally acquiring entire properties. Furthermore, it is alleged that they have exploited the aristocrats of their neighboring countries.
The aristocracy apprehended and imprisoned Jaczewicz on suspicion of perpetrating financial offenses. He may have resumed his putative curative practice after evading his initial apprehension, claiming that he had obtained the pope’s authorization to do so. Nevertheless, Jaczewicz was ultimately apprehended once more and declared guilty by a high court in Kraków in 1712. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Following their discovery by metal detectorists, the coins were transferred to an archaeological museum in the southwestern Polish city of Ostrowiec Świětokrzyski, according to officials. The collection will be protected and analyzed to obtain additional information regarding its provenance and prospective ownership before it is discovered in the mountains.
The discovery was made just weeks after officials announced that a metal detectorist in eastern Poland had uncovered a 17th-century cross icon that experts claim was previously prohibited by an emperor.
