The Largest Viking Era Silver Coin Hoard Found in Finland

In Finland, the largest Viking era silver coin hoard weighing nearly 4.5 kilograms was discovered. The find was made on September 3 in a forest near the 'church village' (kirkonkylä) of the municipality of Sysmä. The hoard was found by a metal detectorist, Kalle Lappinen, with the silver divided between two birch bark containers. Lappinen dutifully reported the find to the authorities, after which the excavation was led by Esko Tikkala from the Lahti Historical Museum the following day.

This hoard became the largest known Iron Age collection ever discovered in Finland. The previous record belonged to a hoard of coins and other valuables weighing about 2.2 kilograms, found in Nousiainen, west of Sysmä, back in 1895. Thus, the new find almost doubled the old one in mass. According to Tikkala's estimate, the hoard was about twice the size of the collection of 1,700 coins found in Nousiainen more than 130 years ago. The silver's weight alone, not considering the antique value of the coins, would be worth almost $10,000 on the modern market.

Tikkala noted that the origin of the coins, presumably dated between 1000 and 1050 AD, indicates extensive trade connections and possibly distant sea voyages. Several coins were minted in other parts of Scandinavia, as well as in the territory of modern Germany during the Holy Roman Empire era. Some coins originate from Britain and relate to the period shortly before the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. Among the find were also silver dirhams minted in the Islamic world, with origins that could range from Al-Andalus to the eastern borders of the former Byzantine Empire.

There is no direct evidence linking the hoard to Viking raids yet, although Vikings regularly used dirhams as currency, making such a connection likely. Of particular interest is the presence of so-called 'hack silver' or hexilver in the hoard—metal scraps intended for payment by weight rather than coin denomination. This method of payment was used by both Vikings and ancient Pictish tribes of Scotland. In addition to coins, the hoard contained a silver bracelet, a silver clasp, and one silver bead.