Customs officials find pensioner with stash of gold coins worth 1.5million zł hidden inside her clothing
This is the bizarre moment customs officials found a pensioner with close to PLN 1.5 million (€320,000) worth of gold coins hidden inside her clothing.
Officials discovered the five kilograms of gold coins during a routine search at the border crossing with Ukraine in Hrebenne south east Poland.
According to reports, after being stopped the 68-year-old woman disclosed her secret to the dumbfounded officers before revealing the 670 coins.
According to reports, after being stopped the 68-year-old woman disclosed her secret to the dumbfounded officers before revealing the 670 coins.
Spokeswoman Marzena Siemieniuk said: “661 of the 670 coins examined are foreign exchange gold, which includes, among others, gold coins minted after 1850.
“Moreover, some of them are legal tender, i.e. circulation, coins.
“The remaining ones are the so-called investment or investment coins, treated as a capital investment.
“In turn, the remaining nine coins, minted before 1850, are coins of historical value.”
The majority come from the 19th and 20th centuries, comprising crowns from the Kingdom of Hungary, French, Belgian, and Swiss francs, Austrian crowns, and British sovereigns. The oldest, dating back to 1817, depicts King Louis XVIII.
According to experts, the combined value of the coins amounts to nearly PLN 1.5 million.
The majority come from the 19th and 20th centuries, comprising crowns from the Kingdom of Hungary, French, Belgian, and Swiss francs, Austrian crowns, and British sovereigns.
The most ancient coin, dating back to 1817, depicts King Louis XVIII.
After being fined PLN 50,000 for attempted smuggling, the majority of the treasure was returned to the woman, with only nine historically valuable coins being retained.
Customs officials added that if the elderly woman had declared the stash before being stopped she could have done so legally without being fined.
Instead, she was fined PLN 50,000 for attempted smuggling.
The majority of the treasure was nonetheless returned to her, with only nine historically valuable coins being retained.
