MØNTSKATTEN

Skal der være skattejagt, så lad der være skattejagt, og takket være gamle optegnelser om Rudkøbings fortid, er denne geocache baseret på en beretning fra det virkelige liv.

Med tanke på de svenske troppers hærgen og plyndren i byen under Svenskekrigen, og de mange værdier som byens borgerskab dengang gravede ned, så skulle der være en god chance for, at der stadig gemmer sig nogle skatte i jorden under det gamle Rudkøbing.

Denne geocaches handling, har imidlertid intet med svenskekrigen at gøre. Den handler om et møntfund i, hvad der engang var den tilflyttede barber Jørgen Frederik Walbums ejendom i Grønnegade lige ved siden af Rudkøbings gamle Rådhus.

Iflg. de gamle optegnelser, skulle Walbum have fortalt, at dengang han købte ejendommen - som var en meget gammel hytte - havde sælgeren, en værtshusholder Sørensen, sagt til ham: "Se nu bare at finde de penge, som jeg ikke kunne finde!". Disse ord var ikke usædvanlige, for sådan havde nemlig også den mand sagt, som i sin tid solgte huset til Sørensen, og sådan havde det lydt fra den ene gamle ejer til den nye ejer efter den anden op igennem tiderne.

Der gik da også det rygte i byen, at der var begravet en skat i huset, men ingen vidste af hvem, og heller ikke hvor skatten skulle søges.

I 1879 blev Walbum så nødt til at lade gulvet udskifte i sin forreste stue. Og bedst som håndværkeren var i færd med at grave grunden dybere under gulvet, stod Walbum udenfor på gaden og så nogle blanke og skinnende dalere mellem det afgravede jord. Der blev nu fundet ikke mindre end 313 stykker store danske sølvmønter. Mønterne havde været tuttet sammen, og da mønterne blev skilt ad, var de derfor ganske blanke og skinnende.

Mønterne, der i alt vejede 12,5 pund , var fra tiden omkring 1670 og altså ikke kunne stamme fra svenskernes hærgen på Langeland. Og Walbum mente således også, at den store pengesum måtte stamme fra en forbrydelse, idet en velhavende mand næppe ville have taget til takke med så beskeden en bolig, som der her var tale om.

Den fundne skat blev indsendt til Den Kongelige Møntsamling, som udover at takke, også bemærkede at sølvet ikke var af hel så stor værdi som man ellers kunne formode. En del af mønterne var nemlig af såkaldt "Kronesølv", og var vel møntet af Corfitz Ulfeldt, som havde ry for at snyde med møntningen, ved at blande uædle metaller i sølvet.

Det må formodes, at møntskatten nok har været lidt større end som så, for i 1891 var Walbum blevet istand til at lade den oprindelige beskedne hytte rive ned, og på stedet der at opføre den statelige byejendom som ligger på stedet nu. På et billede fra 1897, ses det sågar at barber Walbum - som den eneste i gaden, ja måske i hele byen - havde fået lagt fliser på sit fortov.

Spørgsmålet er nu, om du straks vil give dig i kast med at bryde dine egne gulve op, eller rive dit eget hus ned, for at lede efter en fortidsskat der, eller om du nu i stedet vil lede efter den noget mere beskedne skat i denne geocache.

CACHE: et aflangt rør, noget smallere end en filmcontainer og lidt højere. Eneste indhold er et logblad med integreret stash-note. FFC anbragt udenfor, men sammen med røret. Medbring selv skriveredskaber.

ENGLISH provisional translation

THE TREASURE-TROVE

If the name of the game is treasure hunt, why not let it be about a treasure hunt, and thanks to the old files about The Town of Rudkøbing in the past this geocache is based on a story of a real life treasure-trove.

Come to think of the looting of the swedish soldiers under the socalled ”Svenskekrigen”, the chance is that many a treasure still could be found in the ground under the older part of Rdkøbing.

However, this geocache has nothing to do with the looting of the swedish soldiers. It is about a treasure-trove in what was the house of the barber Jørgen Frederik Walbum in Grønnegade next to the old Townhall of Rudkøbing.

When Mr. Walbum bought his house – at that time an old hut – the seller said: "Now, you go and finde the treasure I've never found!". These words wasn't unusual because the previous seller said the very same words to this man when he bought the house. And the very same words had been said by the sellers to the new owners again and again through the ages.

Rumors also had it that a treasure was buried in the house, but nobody knew by whom or where to search for the treasure.

In 1879 Walbum had to replace the floor in one of his rooms, and best as the worker was deepening the space under the floor Mr. Walbum was watching the progress from the street outside his house. Suddenly Mr. Walbum noticed some shining coins in the dirt from under the floor.

According to the old files no less than 313 large and shining silver coins was found.

The Weight of the coins amounted to 12.5 pounds, and the coins appeared to be minted about 1670. These coins couldn't have anything to do with the looting of Swedish soldiers at Langeland. In Mr. Walbums opinion the large sum probably had something to do with some sort of crime, because a wealthy man wouldn't have lived in a humble abode as this.

According to Danish Law the finder couldn't keep the treasure-trove. The coins had to be handed over to the Royal Mintcollection. The finder however would be compensated by the value of the silver. The Royal Mintcollection however found that the value of the coins was less than could be expected because some of the coins was made of so called "Crownsilver", and probably was minted by Corfitz Ulfeldt, who had a reputation of cheating with the minting and mixing ignoble metals in the silver.

It probably could be assumed that the treasure-trove was a little better than the modest sum he received from Royal Mintcollection, because in 1891 Mr. Walbum was able to let the old hut tear down and to build the larger house that you see at the address today. On a photo from 1897, it can be seen that Mr. Walbum – as the only houseowner in the street, and perhaps i all town – had a tiled sidewalk in front of his new house.

Now the question is if you now want to break up your own floor or tear down your house in order to look for at treasure of the past, or if you instead will go looking for the much more humble treasure of this geocache.

CACHE: cylindershaped cache which is somewhat smaller but higher than a traditional film cannister. It only contains a log with integrated stash-note. Remember to bring your own pencil.