Student Finds 49 Gold Bars and 4,000 Coins Worth $10.5M in First Week at Work: Police Seize Treasure

An 18-year-old student's first week in a part-time construction job ended with the discovery of an extraordinary hidden fortune after he uncovered 49 gold bars and around 4,000 gold coins worth an estimated €9 million ($10.5 million) beneath a former brewery in Belgium.

Instead of walking away with a life-changing payday, the student worker Kobe Phillips watched police take custody of the hoard as investigators worked to establish its legal owner. Several people have already come forward claiming to be descendants of the family linked to the property.

Student Mistook the Treasure for Ordinary Coins

The find came during renovation work at a former brewery in Dendermonde, about 30 kilometres north-west of Brussels. Eight construction workers were excavating beneath a historic villa built for brewer Theophilus Van Assche when Kobe Phillips noticed what he believed were ordinary coins.

'I thought they were one-euro coins, neatly lined up in a row,' he told Belgian broadcaster VTM. 'We dug them out, and then we saw a small bar of gold lying there, already attached to our digging hammer. There was actually a bit more than we'd thought.'

As excavation continued, the team uncovered thousands of gold sovereign coins, dozens of gold bars, and gold nuggets concealed behind a bricked-up cellar wall that had remained untouched for decades.

Police Secured the Gold as Ownership Claims Emerged

After recognising the scale of the find, the workers notified the property owner, who contacted local police. The cache is being kept in a secure location while investigators examine its origins and whether it is linked to any criminal activity. The gold is now being stored in a secure, guarded location while investigators examine its history and determine whether any criminal activity is connected to the hoard.

Patrick Feys, chief of the Dendermonde Police District, said some of the gold bars bear refinery stamps dating back to the 1960s, while the sovereign coins feature different monarchs and minting dates. Those details could help investigators establish when the collection was hidden. Authorities said several people have already submitted documents claiming family ties to the property's former owners.

Belgian Law Will Decide Who Gets the Treasure

Although the discovery has attracted international attention, ownership is far from settled. Under Belgian law, buried valuables are not automatically awarded to the people who find them. Investigators must establish whether a lawful owner can be identified and rule out any criminal links before deciding who, if anyone, is entitled to the treasure.

Historical records, ownership documents, and forensic examination of the bars and coins are expected to play an important role in resolving the case. Until then, neither the student nor the property owner has access to the multi-million-dollar treasure.

Why the Discovery Has Captured Global Attention

Treasure discoveries worth millions are exceptionally rare, particularly when they occur during routine construction work rather than organised archaeological excavations.

The combination of thousands of gold coins, dozens of bullion bars, an unknown owner, and competing inheritance claims has transformed an ordinary renovation project into one of Belgium's most unusual police investigations in recent years.

For Kobe Phillips, what began as a routine shift at a summer job has become an experience few construction workers will ever match. While he did not leave the site a millionaire, his find has become the centre of an international mystery that investigators are only beginning to unravel.