The Treasure of Imphy is a collection of one hundred
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
coins discovered by chance in 1857 in the town of
Imphy in
Nièvre
Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.[French denier
The denier (; , , ; . d.) or penny was a medieval coin which takes its name from the Frankish empire, Frankish coin first issued in the late seventh century; in English it is sometimes referred to as a silver penny. Its appearance represent ...]
s, were purchased by
Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt, and were preserved.
Their study contributed to the knowledge of the coinage of the period.
The coins were discovered when workers were installing drainage pipes. At that time, the workers discovered an earthen pot containing the hundred coins. The discovery was properly reported and the coins were studied by Adrien Prévost de Longpérier. The collection was then bought by Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt, founder of the French Numismatic Society.
[''Monnaies gauloises, mérovingiennes, carlovingiennes et capétiennes'', 341 lots chez Rollin les 7 et 8 juin 1886.]
Sources
{{Reflist
Treasure troves in France
1857 archaeological discoveries