Amateur treasure hunter found at the bottom of the Yauza River in Moscow, a 400-year-old gold coin worth more than $17,000. This valuable discovery was found by amateur diver swimming through the Yauza River with metal detector.
It is alleged that the coin was stuck to a metallic pivot buried deep within the silt, and it turned out to be a gold ugorsky chervonets minted during the reign of Russian Tsar Boris Godunov (1598-1605).
These coins have not been used as currency, but were issued as a reward for martial valor. It is considered extremely rare, as only six such coins have been found to date, and may be worth over $17,000.
Meanwhile, the lucky treasure hunter decided to remain anonymous because under Russian law, a person who engages in archaeological activities without proper authorization and inflicts damage to artifacts during the process may face a hefty fine and up to four years in prison.