A Swiss farmer now has his own treasure-hunting story to share after uncovering a trove of fortune in his cherry orchard when his eyes caught on some shimmering green coins on a molehill.

Following the thrilling discovery in July, the fruit and vegetable farmer immediately called the regional archaeological service. It took the agency a couple of months before completely excavating all the coins. Some of the coins were reportedly in small leather pouches. Confirming the farmer's suspicions, experts have said that the jaw-dropping pieces of more than 4000 bronze and silver coins most likely belong to Romans. This has been dubbed Switzerland's largest treasure uncovered.

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"The orchard where the coins were found was never built on. It is land that has always been farmed," Swiss archaeologist Georg Matter told AFP.

The coins, which appear to be have been hidden 1700 years ago, weigh 15kg (33lbs) all in all. Because of their well-preserved appearance, experts believe that they were most likely pulled away from circulation shortly after being fabricated.

Matter said  "As an archaeologist one rarely experiences something like this more than once in your career."

Tracing back its possible origin, the orchard is just a mile away from one of the earliest Roman settlements in a neighboring town known as Fick. The word Fick (Latin for Ferraricia) points to a Roman iron ore mine. The discovery of the rare coins in Ueken, the northern canton of Aargau in Switzerland, is believed to be largely because of a large Roman occupation in the area between the 1st and 4th century AD.

It was indeed a significant find with one of the coins dating back as early as 294 AD. Most of the Roman coins excavated were from the era of Emperor Aurelian (270-275 AD) and Maximian (286-305 AB). The former leader is behind the Empire's eastern province restoration following the Palmyrene Empire invasion, while the latter implemented campaigns to free the Rhine province from possible Germanic conquest.

Despite excavating them in a private backyard, the artifacts, according to the Swiss law, are considered the government's property and are to be displayed in Aargau's Vindonissa de Brugg Museu. The farmer, on the other hand, will be rewarded a finder's fee.

TagsSwitzerland treasure, farmer discovers treasure, treasure hunting, cherry orchard, Fick town, Emperor Aurelian, Aargau's Vindonissa de Brugg Museu, Swiss Farmer Discovers Roman Treasure Trove