Construction workers renovating an old brewery in Belgium have uncovered a treasure trove of gold coins and bars, worth an estimated £7.6 million. The discovery was made last Tuesday in Dendermonde, a city about 19 miles northwest of Brussels.
The haul includes approximately 40 gold bars and around 4,000 gold sovereign coins, according to police. The workers found the stash buried in the building's foundations.
Discovery and Initial Reaction
Student and part-time construction worker Kobe Phillips was the first to spot the treasure. “I thought they were one-euro coins, neatly lined up in a row. We dug them out, and then we saw a small bar of gold lying there, already attached to our digging hammer. There was actually a bit more than we’d thought,” he told Belgian broadcaster VTM.
The crew alerted the landowner, who then informed the police. Officers attended the scene and took control of the so-called 'buried treasure' because of its enormous value. The gold has since been placed in a “secure and guarded location,” according to the East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Origins and Claims
Dendermonde Police District chief Patrick Feys confirmed that some of the gold bars carry stamps dating back to the 1960s, while the sovereign coins feature a variety of monarchs and dates. Several people have already come forward claiming the treasure, Feys added.
“We already had some citizens who want to claim the gold with different documents to prove that they are descendants,” he said.
Police are now investigating the origins of the treasure trove and whether it could be linked to any criminal activity.
