A Békés Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 23. (Békéscsaba, 2002)

Liska András: 17th century golden coin find from Sarkad

17. századi aranypénzlelet Sarkadról coins were found in a small ceramic dish by Antal Lovas labourer, who was straightening vertically the trench wall, while he stood in the bottom of the trench. The place of discovery of the hidden ducats was found 300 meters far from the place of the one-time Sarkad castle. The place of discovery of the ducats was an organic part of the Hajdu(Heyducks)-town surrounding the castle. In the second part of the 17

th century probably this area could be found within the reinforced settlement. The ducat minted in 1658 in Frankfurt was the latest one among the golden coins found in Sarkad. The presumption that the date of hiddmg is the same as the issue year of the last stamp, could be supported by historical data. According to our presumption the owner of the golden coins - because of the insecure situation in 1658 - rather thought to hide his collected golden coins in a dish and to flee. The presumed history of the golden coins covers a 17

th century human tragedy, as the hider of the coins was never able to get back his property: either he was killed in the troubled times, or he had to leave this region without his treasure. Liska András Erkel Ferenc Múzeum H-5700 Gyula, Kossuth L. u. 17. 225