Rare centuries-old gold coin from Netherlands found by metal detectorist in Poland

A man using a metal detector discovered a centuries-old Dutch coin on the southern coast of Poland earlier this week, museum officials announced. 

The coin, a golden ducat, is from the Netherlands, according to a post on social media from the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land. The coin is dated to the year 1777, and was found on the site of the oldest Dominican monastery along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. 

The man who found the coin was identified as Polish resident Maciej Ruzik. Ruzik is a member of the area Exploration Association, and had been searching the area in an effort to find artifacts. The discovery of the coin "proves the city's incredibly rich history," the museum said. Maciej told a local newspaper that he was "very emotional" about the find.

"It is a great discovery," he said. 

The coin shows a knight standing with his sword raised in one hand and several arrows in the other. The front of coin has the year written on it, and an inscription that translates to "In harmony even from small things great grow," according to the museum. 

The back of the coin has another inscription that could indicate what province it was issued in, the museum said. 

The Republic of the Netherlands functioned from 1581 to 1795, the museum said, meaning that this coin is from the last decades of the republic's existence. 

Official said this is the first coin of its kind found in Poland. Similar golden ducats were distributed in Poland in the 1830s, the museum said, but the knight's head on the front was replaced with a small Polish eagle. In general, golden ducats were strong currency used in international trade for centuries. The elaborately decorated coins were accepted around the world, and the Royal Dutch Mint continues to annually mint them, according to the organization's website. 

The discovery comes about a month after a medieval sword with a mysterious inscription was found at the bottom of a Polish river, which some experts believe may have belonged to the Vikings. 

In:
• Poland
• Netherlands

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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