SerpApi.Org
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
- A man digging a backyard swimming pool in France struck gold—literally.
- The discovery included five gold bars and a range of gold coins, all stored in plastic bags.
- Authorities traced the gold bars through identification numbers and confirmed they were not stolen loot.
Just because you’re not looking for buried treasure doesn’t mean you won’t find it. Case in point: In 2025, a man digging a pool outside of Lyon, France, unearthed a trove of gold—five gold bars and a host of coins—in his backyard, all stored in plastic bags.
After the discovery of gold on his property—a property he’d only owned for about a year—the man (who has remained anonymous) turned the treasure over to the local Neuville-sur-Saone town authorities, who in turn contacted the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs. That group had to decide if the treasure had any archaeological value. If so, that would mean the state could claim ownership of the find.
But if the find was not deemed to have archaeological value, the claim goes to the discoverer. The civil code of France—which dates to the 19th century—defines a treasure as “any hidden or buried thing over which no one can prove their ownership, and which is discovered purely by chance.” Ownership of such a discovery is granted to the individual finding the treasure, if it was on their own property.
Since the five gold bars all had unique identification numbers etched on them, the researchers were quickly able to trace them to a refinery in the Lyon area that had melted down the gold and made the bars only about 15 to 20 years ago. The police also determined the bars were not stolen or otherwise involved in unscrupulous acts. The relative newness of the gold bars, coupled with the legal provenance, meant the man who wanted a swimming pool could keep the treasure. Accordingto the French-language newspaper La Progres, the haul is valued at around $800,000.
Just why the gold bars and coins were buried in the backyard isn’t known. The home’s previous owner died before the treasure was found, and there have been no reports regarding why the gold was hidden away.
Last year alone, several reports of individuals happening upon buried treasure have surfaced. A fisherman went digging for worms near his home in Sweden and found roughly 20,000 silver coins and pieces of jewelry dating to the early Middle Ages. A metal detectorist in Germany set out strolling in a field in Saxony and came home with a 2,200-year-old “rainbow cup” gold coin. And in England, a couplerenovating their kitchen discovered a 17th-century haul of roughly 100 coins from the first English Civil War.
In other words, there’s apparently never been a better time to start that home renovation project you’ve been thinking about. You might just wind up with more than a new deck to your name.
