Hitting the jackpot on the first day of work: Finding a $10 million treasure but having to wait… 5 years
Hitting the jackpot on the first day of work: Finding a $10 million treasure but having to wait… 5 years On his first day of a summer job at a construction site in Belgium, an 18-year-old student made the discovery of a lifetime: 49 gold bars and 4,000 gold coins, with a total estimated value of up to $10 million
An 18-year-old summer worker in Belgium helped uncover a hidden gold hoard worth an estimated €9 million during routine construction work.
The discovery was made in August 2026 in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, where a crew was renovating a property and digging a trench for a new sewer pipe.
Student worker Kobe Philips was working with colleagues when they encountered part of the building’s old foundation.
After removing it, they began finding gold in the ground.
The haul included 49 gold bars, gold coins and nuggets.
The workers immediately reported the discovery, and police arrived to document and secure it.
The gold was later transferred to a high-security federal facility while authorities began investigating where it came from and whether anyone could establish legal ownership.
The property was historically connected to the Van Assche brewing family, although no link between the family and the gold has been proven.
For now, the origin of the treasure remains unknown.
Millions in gold were found during an ordinary sewer job. Who ultimately owns it is a much harder question.
Credit: Lokale Politie Dendermonde/ Facebook
