Three demolition workers in Belgium discovered a hidden pot of gold coins while dismantling an old house in 2019. But what appeared to be a stroke of luck eventually brought them before a criminal court. The coins were estimated to be worth €240,000. Instead of reporting the discovery, the workers divided the treasure among themselves and sold part of it. Their actions came to light after rumours spread about the find, prompting the former homeowner's family to report the matter to authorities and triggering a lengthy legal investigation.
The discovery took place in October 2019 in Assebroek, a suburb of Bruges, when three construction workers were carrying out demolition work on an old property. According to The Brussels Times report of June 2025, the workers uncovered a pot of gold coins in a concealed space beneath the cellar while accessing the area with a crane. The workers were identified as F.M., 46, from Zedelgem, T.D., 46, from Ypres, and P.K., 50, from Oostkamp. The hidden compartment was not part of the demolition plans, making the discovery unexpected. The coins included South African Krugerrands and Belgian ECU pieces. The ECU was a European currency unit used before the introduction of the euro. The value of the collection was estimated at €240,000, although the amount eventually realised by the workers through sales was considerably lower.
The house had previously belonged to an elderly woman who sold the property in 2018 before moving into a care home. She was reportedly 93 years old when the discovery became the subject of the legal proceedings. The Brussels Times reported that the former owners had not known the coins were still hidden inside the house when they sold it. The treasure was concealed behind a safe, and the woman had apparently forgotten about it. The discovery became public after one of the workers shared information about it, with a witness eventually telling neighbours about a bag of jewellery. The family subsequently filed a complaint in 2020, seeking to recover the value of the gold.
Investigators later established that the workers had divided the coins rather than informing the former homeowner or the authorities about their discovery. The Brussels Times reported that F.M. sold 12 South African Krugerrands and 55 Belgian ECU coins in Antwerp for €52,000. The sale involved 67 coins in total, providing investigators with a clear trail linking the discovery to the money received. T.D. also sold his share of the coins for €30,000. That money was reportedly spent on cars and gambling. P.K. received a considerably smaller share, consisting of one gold coin and €2,000.
The legal dispute centred on whether the coins belonged to the former homeowner or should be treated as a hidden treasure discovered during construction work. When the three workers appeared before the Bruges Correctional Court in June 2025, their lawyers argued that the discovery did not amount to theft. They maintained that the men had not intended to steal anything and that the coins should instead be treated as a treasure found accidentally. The defence also argued that the former homeowner no longer owned the property when the coins were discovered. According to The Brussels Times, lawyer Bart Bleyaert maintained that the treasure should be divided between its discoverers and the new property owner under the rules governing hidden valuables.
The former owner's representatives rejected that interpretation and demanded €240,000 in compensation. They argued that the woman was entitled to the coins and had lost their full value because the workers sold them.
The case eventually reached its end on 16 September 2025, when the Bruges Criminal Court found all three workers guilty of stealing and selling the gold coins. The Brussels Times reported that the verdict followed a lengthy investigation that had delayed the proceedings. Although the men had admitted discovering the coins, the central question was whether their subsequent actions amounted to criminal theft. The court's decision established that the discovery could not simply be treated as an opportunity for the workers to divide and sell the valuables themselves.
