Russian archaeologists find 15th-century treasure of over 2,600 silver coins

Russian archaeologists have unearthed a significant treasure in Kolomna, a town on the outskirts of Moscow, consisting of over 2,600 silver coins from the 15th century. The discovery was announced by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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During the excavations carried out in the historical center of Kolomna (...) the largest treasure of silver coins minted in the 20s and 30s of the 15th century was discovered.

The coins were found carefully stored in a small, elegantly painted ceramic jug, buried in a shallow natural pit within the town's historical settlement, near the local Kremlin. The Institute of Archaeology stated that this find represents the largest complete numismatic collection from the first half of the 15th century currently available to researchers.

Most of the coins were minted during the reigns of Russian princes Vasily I and Vasily II 'the Dark'. Vasily I was the son of Dmitri Donskoy, a medieval prince who was canonized nearly four decades ago. Notably, some coins feature the image of a bird in flight, minted in Kolomna itself during the later years of Vasily I's rule. Archaeologists describe these as extremely rare, with several specimens not previously present in major Russian numismatic museum collections.

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In total, the jug contained more than 2,600 silver coins, making this treasure the largest complete numismatic set from the first half of the 15th century available to researchers.

Initial analysis has identified new, previously unknown varieties of Kolomna coins, with over 350 examples now documented. Researchers hypothesize that the owner of this substantial treasure was likely a very wealthy individual, possibly belonging to the societal elite or even serving the prince. The dating of the coins suggests the owner may have perished during one of the plague epidemics that affected ancient Rus' cities between 1425 and 1427.

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These are extremely rare coins, according to archaeologists, and specialists have already found several specimens that were not present in the main collections of Russian numismatic museums.