Coin hoard found at Copenhagen star fortress

While restoration work is being undertaken at the star fortress Kastellet in the centre of Copenhagen, archaeologists from the Museum of Copenhagen, have had the rare opportunity to thoroughly examine areas of the historic military site. During the search a trove of coins, dated between 1649 and 1787, was found.

Kastellet as it looked in 1761 [Credit: Museum of Copenhagen]

The trove comprises nine copper coins and 23 silver pieces. In total, 620 metal objects were found in the area, including musket balls and other pieces of used or discarded ammunition.

While archaeological finds of old coins, some even from the Viking age, are not as uncommon in some areas of the country, the Museum of Copenhagen emphasises that coin troves are rarely found in the Copenhagen area.

Most of the coins were minted in Copenhagen, while some come from Kongsberg in Norway and Altona in Germany, which were both under the Danish crown during the period in question.

Source: The Copenhagen Post [December 19, 2014]