Legendary treasure that apparently belonged to notorious 18th-century conman unearthed in Poland

A trove of gold and silver coins that experts believe were swindled out of an ailing population by an 18th-century conman has been discovered in central Poland, officials said. Volunteer metal detectorists found the treasure hidden underground in multiple locations while exploring the Jeleniowskie mountain range with permission from the local government, and the fact that it exists seems to validate a centuries-old legend.

The collection includes coins that date back to the 17th century and early 18th century, said the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Kielce, a city near the mountain range, in an announcement unveiling the finds. The coins will be analyzed more thoroughly this year, but as heritage officials and explorers themselves have suggested, the treasure seems to prove that tales of the notorious Polish fraudster Anthony Jaczewicz could be rooted in true history after all.

"The coins we recovered may be part of this legendary treasure collected by Jaczewicz," said Sebastian Grabowiec, who heads the exploration group that found the coins, in comments to the government-backed Polish science organization PAP.