Homeowner digging for bait worms finds 800-year-old silver treasures in Sweden
While digging for worms near a house in Sweden, a homeowner uncovered something much larger and much more significant. Archaeologists identified the finds as a collection of thousands of silver treasures dating back at least 800 years.
A man in Stockholm County was searching for bait worms near his summer house when hefound a copper container filled with silver items, the Stockholm County Administrative Board said in a Sept. 18 news release.
He reported the find to officials, who identified it as an unusually large cache of treasure from the early Middle Ages. Photos show some of these treasures.
In total, the artifacts weigh about 13 pounds and include thousands of silver coins, jewelry, pearls and beads, officials said. The exact number of items has not been confirmed.
Sofia Andersson, an expert with the county board, described the find as one of the largest early Middle Ages silver treasure collections ever found in Sweden. She noted that the cache might contain upwards of 20,000 coins.
Most of the silver coins analyzed so far are about 800 years old, officials said. Some had the phrase “KANUTUS,” a Latin reference to Knut Eriksson, who was king of Sweden in the late 1100s, on their surface.
The collection found in Stockholm County also included some 800-year-old bishop’s coins, a more unusual type of coin minted specifically for church bishops in various locations, officials said. A photo shows one of these coins, which depicts a person holding a bishop’s staff.
Officials did not specify where in Stockholm County the treasures were found but said they would release that information after follow-up archaeological excavations finished. Experts are also continuing to analyze the artifacts.
Stockholm county includes Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, and surrounding areas.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Stockholm County Administrative Board.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Homeowner digging for bait worms finds 800-year-old silver treasures in Sweden."
