The silver treasure weighs just under a kilogram in total and is estimated to date from the early Viking Age, around the 9th or 10th century.
According to the verdict, it consists of 108 Arab silver coins, a braided necklace and other jewelry and silver objects.
Archaeologists at Jönköping County Administrative Board (the county administrative authority) say it is a very unusual find.
“It is a unique find. It is precisely because it is not only coins but also a lot of other objects, such as the necklace,” Anders Kraft, an antiquarian at the County Administrative Board, told TT in connection with the treasure’s eventual submission in the fall of 2024.
Left anonymously
The only problem is that it was not archaeologists who found the treasure near Ölmstad Church, between Gränna and Huskvarna, around 2018.
The two finders have said they were looking for traces of the Nordic Seven Years’ War (1563–1570). However, they did not have permission to use metal detectors and, when they found the silver treasure, chose to keep it.
After the treasure was handed in in the fall of 2024, one of the men also chose to keep five of the silver coins for a few more months.
On display at the museum
The two finders stood trial this summer, among other things because, according to the indictment, they had tried unsuccessfully to sell the treasure with the help of another man. According to the verdict, the helper tried to hand the treasure over to the County Administrative Board in exchange for a finder’s fee.
Jönköping District Court sentenced the men to suspended sentences and daily fines, but acquitted the suspected accomplice.
The prosecutor had requested prison sentences, but according to the court, previous comparable cases had more often involved the looting of existing ancient remains.
“In this case, the treasure was apparently found by chance,” Councilor Mikael Malm said in a press release.
The silver treasure will be on display this autumn and winter at Jönköping County Museum, which has created an exhibition called “The stolen silver treasure and the knowledge of archaeologists.”
