Two hikers exploring the outskirts of a forest in the Czech Republic made a jaw-dropping discovery when they stumbled upon treasure worth over $340,000. While exploring the Podkrkonosi Mountains, they came across 598 gold coins, jewellry, tobacco bags, and other valuable objects weighing around 15 pounds, reported the New York Post.

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Thought the discover was made in February, it was only recently that the museum officials of of East Bohemia made the information public.

The hikers while hiking found an aluminium can filled with 16 snuff boxes, 10 bracelets, a wire bag, a comb, a chain and a powder compact, all made of yellow metal.

The coins found in the box are dated from 1808 to the early 19th century and include currency from France, Belgium, the Ottoman Empire and former Austria-Hungary and are believed to have been buried in the ground for over a hundred years.

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“I was called to say that a person who had found something was coming to see me. When he opened it, my jaw dropped. The men first found an aluminium can, part of which protruded above the surface and about a meter from it an iron box. The can contain 598 coins, divided into 11 columns, each wrapped in black cloth. The metal box contained a total of sixteen snuff boxes, ten bracelets, a wire bag, a comb, a chain and a powder compact. All made of yellow metal. For certain, the coins are solid gold. We will need to analyse the rest, but at the current price of precious metals, the value of the find can start at 7.5 million [Czech] Crowns. The historical value of the treasure, however, is incalculable," said the Head of Archaeology at the Museum of East Bohemia, Miroslav Novak to Daily Mail.

Experts are now trying to figure out how the treasure box ended buried up on the side of the Podkrkonosi mountain.

"To store valuable objects in the ground in the form of treasures, so-called depots have been a common practice since prehistoric times. At first, religious movements were more common; later it was property stored in uncertain times with the intention of returning later for it," said Novak