A staggering trove of 15,000 rare coins, hidden from the Nazis and lost to history for over half a century, has reemerged — and it’s valued at more than $100 million USD (around $160 million AUD). Dubbed the Traveller Collection, this extraordinary cache is about to rewrite numismatic history.
Hidden from Nazis, Sealed in Cigar Boxes, Buried and Forgotten
The Traveller Collection began in the aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, when a European collector and his wife embarked on a decades-long journey through Europe and the Americas. Their mission: acquire the rarest and most historically significant coins on Earth. Each piece was carefully cataloged, leaving behind a meticulous record of provenance.
But as World War II loomed and Nazi forces advanced, the collector made a drastic decision. Rather than risk losing the collection, he buried it. Packed into cigar boxes and aluminum containers, the entire treasure was hidden underground — and the man himself vanished into history.
The $160 Million Collection Returns to the Light
More than five decades later, the collector’s heirs recovered the treasure and brought it to the world’s attention. The auction house Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC) is now preparing to unveil it, with the first sale scheduled for May 20, 2025. According to NAC director Arturo Russo, this will be “the most valuable numismatic collection ever to come to auction in its entirety.”
The auction will mark a major moment in high-stakes coin collecting, offering coins of such rarity and quality that many haven’t been seen for over 80 years — and some were never previously documented in official numismatic records.
Coin Giants: Gold Titans of European Royalty
At the heart of the collection lies the 100 Ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg (1629). Weighing 348.5 grams of fine gold, it’s one of the largest European gold coins ever struck, with an estimated value of $1.35 million USD.
Another gem is the 70 Ducat coin of Polish King Sigismund III (1621), tipping the scales at 243 grams, and valued around $471,700 USD.
These aren’t just collector’s items — they are monuments of monetary history, encapsulating the legacy of European dynasties and geopolitical shifts in solid gold.
Never-Before-Seen Coins Set to Headline 2025 Auction
The inaugural auction in May 2025 will focus on British machine-struck coins, spanning monarchs from Charles II to George VI. The entire first wave of coins will be on public display throughout April at NAC’s London office.
The auction is part of a three-year series, each wave unveiling new layers of this buried legacy. With such a diverse and well-preserved portfolio — stretching across over 100 global regions — the collection is expected to draw international interest from both historians and high-net-worth collectors.
The Traveller Collection’s Enduring
More than a goldmine, the Traveller Collection is a historic time capsule. It captures not only a collector’s passion but also the turbulent eras it survived — the Great Depression, World War II, and the decades of silence that followed.
Each coin speaks to personal obsession, historical resilience, and the mysterious paths by which treasures are sometimes lost — then found.
With its upcoming auction, the Traveller Collection transforms from buried legend to living legacy, reintroducing the world to forgotten currencies that once held nations and empires together.
So, discovered after decades only to be auctioned off and some never to be seen again.
Should have left them buried.
rich family just got richer that’s all this story is about …….coins only the Super rich will see or have …….So big deal …..So what
These only have value because we agree they do.
A good idea would be to give ALL proceeds to charity !!!
Nvr did mention WHERE or who found them….. commercial
Does each item have proof of purchase? If not give it back to the country it was procured from.
This is a story of a family afraid of the Nazi. They could be Jewish. I think the back story of the family would be interesting.
I know my gold should be returned to me directly you didn’t have no business digging around in my ground you knew that as soon as you got there I know you felt it so stop playing 8033712222
I’m intrigued that such a treasure was found. I just wish that rather than auction off the find to other rich people..how about put some in museums so that future generations can see it. And last..how about donating some of the proceeds to non profit organization that are making difference in humanity..
Fake story, should be put im museum for everyone to enjoy not just the rich.
Another Heist Movie in the making-The Count of Monte Cristo decides to settle The Score of The Italian Job in The Town with a Den Of Thieves as The Inside Man joins the Ocean’s 11 to make Ocean’s 12 and become Public Enemies with a Red Notice!😁
These leave it to charity comments are rich! Like any of you morons would leave the treasure you found to charity!!!!
Those are actually mine..I couldn’t remember where my late great uncle told me he buried them…that’s what we call him..he’s really just friend of the family…I’ll be awaiting you phone call..or just drop me $171
?they plan on shutting my water off tomorrow I just got custody of my grandaughters…I can’t go with out water they will take them from me..I’m all they have..this is no lie..very serious..the total bill is $432.00
Bunker hill Indiana water or my cash app:
$TheAngelsShare
Christina Day
To all you Idiots. Your stupid comments reveal your jealousy and regret that you all are burning inside your soul and venues that run in your sick veins. Shame on all of you.
The cut is anything from 10 – 50% and not 1% that guy from National Treasure took (stupid.)
OPH (30/03/25)
Wondering by these comments that it may be obvious that no one has researched the Habsburg Family!
What a find. I am glad the family found them and I’m sure that inheriting these coins have a taxation cost so that’s probably part of the reason for selling. And too , the amount they will receive. You know we all would do the same if given the chance, I know I would.
elon musk will be taking us all on a tour!!
If it weren’t so risky to do so, it would be fabulous to have it tour nations in a history mobile van, like we have here in the USA.
Most recent one was an exhibition of Civil War artifacts.
Maybe they can help me help my mother who lost her husband of 52 years to pancreatic cancer
https://gofund.me/ea278495
5 years 500 years 5,000 years. Everything on this Earth get left here. The best Treasures is love and that’s what God gives us. So we should give love to God and to each other
Who cares! Didn’t see it before! And won’t after! If I found it I would’ve donated it to a museum! so all could enjoy!
For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul.
The second coin bears the J777. I didn’t see any date on the first coin.
Who get the money from the auction?
Worthless!! Why not donate to a museum. Idiots were already rich as this disgusts me. At least if they were real treasure hunters I wouldn’t have felt so bad. What a waste of significant history just being sold to auction.
@Oscar Petrus Hermanus … you are right. The jealousy some people have here is shameful. I’m guessing 60+ and bitter about life and what the have (not) achieved.
People, educate yourself, do something productive with your life, and anyone can start to acquire wealth. With hard work and luck, you can achieve a lot in a few years. I’d be happy with half of 160 million. I would be profoundly grateful. Never would I hate on someone who had more money than me. It is pitiful when people with people think they can tell me how to spend my own money, the money that I worked for. My ingenuity and productive labour was transformed into its relative worth in currency. Why waste time hating when you could spend time with family or make your own money? Life’s too short to let it pass by and take articles like this more seriously than your own life.
We have people living in tents in California it’s disgusting that people even have the money to toss around and afford this kinda stuff you have to step on a lot of toes and deprive your employees of descent wages to go to this auction I hope an earthquake swallow the auction up
Wow, most of you fail to see that these are fake stories….the goal is to get you to read ads
In California people who are living in tents are mostly drug addicts take it from me I live in my car and occasionally partake as well lol no but seriously people I agree every one should get to see it since it is a historical fund if it was a find but if the family wants the money who can hate em for that
Idk, that george 3 double chin girl with the manly brow coin might get some real rich meme buyers wanting to own it.
Mark 8:34
Oh lucky find, that’s awsume, they get money to do with what they need, the new owner loves the coins its a win win. Congrats guys
Jesus people! The coins weren’t found!! The stupid coins have been held by the family (in their own personal vault I’m sure) until they decided to “bring them to the light” 🙄. Those coins wouldn’t have stayed in such fantastic condition if they’d been buried in cigar boxes and aluminum containers for the last 50+ years! It states the coins were hidden underground, not buried… So who the hell knows what that means! Its a complete spin on a story by the auction house to garner interest! Like someone else said….. the richer just getting freakin richer!
What was it they found
I came across a comment suggesting that the owner might be a Jewish family, and it seemed like the writer was a bit jealous. Jews are human beings like everyone else, and we shouldn’t judge people based on their faith.
As for the concerns discussed above, I believe the best solution is to scan all the coins and, with the owner’s permission, create replicas. This way, ordinary people can view them in museums and online.