Owner
“almost certainly died in the Holocaust.”
“Almost half of the coins are
from Pannonia, which was a province of the Roman Empire that covers modern-day
western Hungary, according to Ferenc Redo, an archaeologist and coin expert.
“The others are mostly antique
coins from around the world, including pre- and post-revolutionary France, 19th
century German territories, and both Tsarist- and Soviet-era Russia.
“Many are from even farther
afield, including South America, Africa, Asia and British-ruled India.
“The
house where the collection was found was in the ghetto in 1944 and given the
presence of early 20th century coins, it’s almost certain they were buried by
their Jewish owners in the desperate hope they might return to reclaim them at
the end of the war.”
