See it: Metal detector leads to silver surprise of ancient Romanian coins for man on nature walk
"I could feel my heart beating quite hard," Bebe Mangeac said after the discovery of 1,469 Romanian coins (silver denarii). "I even thought about pinching myself to convince myself that I was not in a dream."
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LETCA VECHE, Romania – A Romanian metal detectorist stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing a remarkable hoard of ancient silver coins.
"I could feel my heart beating quite hard," Bebe Mangaec said in a social media post after the discovery of 1,469 Romanian coins (silver denarii). "I even thought about pinching myself to convince myself that I was not in a dream."
Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.
(Bebe Mangeac)
The Izvoarele man told FOX Weather that the rare find was unearthed near Letca Veche in Giurgiu County on Holy Saturday before Easter.
"A beautiful Saturday that foretold nothing of what was to come," he said. "I took my detector and went out alone as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests."
When his detector gave a strong signal, Mangeac certainly wasn't expecting anything about what was to unfold.
"I did not think that this day would bring me a surprise that would put me face to face with history," he said. "I felt my heart beating pretty fast, and I really thought to pinch myself to convince myself that I am not in a dream."
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Mangeac told FOX Weather that the rare find was unearthed near Letca Veche in Giurgiu County on Holy Saturday before Easter.
(Bebe Mangeac)
The sheer number of coins left Mangeac in awe.
"I wonder to whom they belonged to and what were these coins intended for?" he questioned.
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Image 1 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
![Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.]()
Image 2 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
![Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.]()
Image 3 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
![Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.]()
Image 4 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
![Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.]()
Image 5 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
![Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.]()
Image 6 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
![Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania.]()
Image 7 of 7Marius (Bebe) Ionel Mangeac stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history, unearthing 1,469 Roman coins (silver denarii) on April 19, 2025, near Letca Veche, Romania. (Bebe Mangeac)
Over the following two days, Mangeac photographed each of the coins and handed over the collection to the local city hall.
"I hope that one day I will go with my child to the museum where I can explain how I was lucky enough to discover a page of the history of our people," he said.