Court confiscates 910 17th-century coins driver attempted to smuggle out of Bukovina

Attempted illegal export of antique collection

At the "Dyakivtsi – Rakovets" customs checkpoint, inspectors stopped a Mercedes Sprinter microvan driven by Pavlo Kioresku. The vehicle was heading to Romania, and the driver had chosen the "green corridor," expecting to pass through without presenting declarations. However, an inspection of personal belongings revealed hidden items of cultural value.

Among ordinary items in a cardboard box, customs officers found a clay jug wrapped in plastic film. Inside the vessel was a numismatic treasure: 910 dark brown coins inscribed with "SOLID". According to the materials of case No. 725/9764/26, a decision in this case was made on 21 October 2026.

Historical and collectible value of the find

Coins inscribed with "SOLID" (solid, sheliak) took their name from the Latin term solidus. In the 17th century, such small change coins were mass-produced from copper or low-grade silver and were widely circulated in the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Eastern Europe.

The current market value of a single such coin depends on its condition and the clarity of the stamp and can range from a few dozen to a few hundred hryvnias. At the same time, the collection of nearly a thousand specimens preserved in a single clay jug forms an integral historical complex of significant scientific and cultural value.

Court decision and punishment

Expertise confirmed that the discovered collection dates back to the 17th century and belongs to the state's cultural heritage. Ukrainian legislation strictly prohibits the export of such items without special permission from the State Control Service.

The Chernivtsi District Court found Pavlo Kioresku guilty of failing to declare goods whose import or export is restricted (Part 3 of Article 471 of the Customs Code of Ukraine). The offender was fined 5,100 hryvnias and ordered to pay a court fee of 665.60 hryvnias. The entire collection of 910 coins found was ordered to be confiscated for the benefit of the state.