Archeologist Robertas Žukovskis of the Antiqua archeological project centre that found the treasure says the coins were found in July and handed over to the National Museum the following day. The find was not announced for security reasons.

"When you report such news, people may start to sneak in at night," the archeologist told BNS.

He said the coins were hidden under foundations of a ruined building and may have been hidden in early 1900s.

The coins were probably savings, as they had been collected for decades. In Žukovskis' words, this can be seen from dates, which range from mid-1800s to mid-1900s.

On the same site, archeologists also discovered WWII-era helmets of German soldiers, tiles, household ceramics and fragments of metal items dating back to 1500s-1800s.

A residential building is projected to be built in the site of the finding in 2016.