19. 4. 2021 Masha the dog digs up a cup full of pennies

The treasure from Ústí u Vsetín from last year has a surprising finder this time. A mug full of Prague groschen from the 14th century was dug up by a female dog Máša. She discovered the depot when her owner took her for a walk.

Masha noticed a clay jar with coins sticking out of the ground. The owner behaved himself and told the museum experts. "The treasure was just a few centimetres underground. It was a small clay jar with coins sticking out of it. It was immediately clear that it was an old treasure. We pulled it out and reported it," revealed the owner of Masha, who wished to remain anonymous.

In the end, it turned out to be one of the rarest finds ever in the region. The museum experts knew immediately that the clay vessel contained Prague grosz from the 14th century. They had to take several steps before removing the jar itself. The Wallachian-Mesurian hospital had to help, where the treasure underwent a CT scan.

Experts from the museum were trying to find out what was under the top layer of coins. "It was important information for us to find out what the contents of the mug were and how to actually select it," explained Tomáš Vitásek, director of the Museum of the Wallachia Region.

Thanks to the CT scan, he and his colleagues learned that the mug they found was full of coins. The conservator removed a total of 374 coins from the pot and the blind man removed about three coins. As for the type of coins, they were pennies from different periods. Some were originally stored in a linen pouch.

The treasure was taken up by archaeologist Samuel Španihel, who thanked the owner of the bitch for being honest and reporting the find. "Their approach will help reveal another piece of the region's history and also allow the public to view these beautiful coins," the archaeologist highlighted.

Experts subjected the treasure to a detailed analysis to determine the age and value of the coins. It was also possible to determine more precisely when the treasure was hidden and, if necessary, the region where the cup came from.

"The other contents of the pot will also be carefully examined to see if there are other remnants of fabric, plants and other material. The composition of the ceramic cup and other fragments will be determined by archaeometric analysis," said Zuzana Fišerová, the councillor for education and culture.

Sources: https://pozitivni-zpravy.cz/, www.denik.cz, www.novinky.cz