Excavators in Hungary have discovered a “very rare” gold Roman coin that features the face of a murdered Roman emperor.

The third-century coin depicts Emperor Volusianus, who co-ruled the Roman Empire for about two years with his father, until the emperor was assassinated at age 22 by his own soldiers. Because of Volusianus’ short reign, coins bearing his face are rare. What’s more, the coin’s denomination is rare, as is finding gold coins from the Roman period in Hungary, said Máté Varga, an archaeologist at the University of Szeged in Hungary and head of the excavation.

Despite their luck in finding this rare treasure, however, the excavators have no idea who owned the currency. But because it was the only gold coin unearthed at the site, “it is likely a stray that someone lost,” Varga told Live Science in an email. “It must have been a great loss for the former owner to lose this valuable coin.”

more at livescience.com

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