French authorities have seized a “priceless” haul of over 27,000 archaeological artifacts ranging from Bronze Age bracelets to Roman coins that had been secretly amassed by a single person in the east of the country, customs said Wednesday.
The seizure of the 27,400 objects was the result of a year-long investigation conducted by French customs, Belgian authorities and the French culture ministry.
The hoarder, who has not been named and now faces a criminal probe, had built up the collection for personal and trading purposes, the French customs service said.
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He had amassed the collection himself using metal detectors as well as what appears to be a deep archaeological knowledge.
Read more: Archaeology News Network