Teenager Unearths Majapahit Treasure Worth Billions During School Holiday
A stroke of unexpected fortune came to Seger, a junior high school student from Kediri, East Java, who discovered gold worth Rp3.1 billion at the age of 15. The incident occurred in 1988 when Seger was enjoying his school holidays before the new academic year. He stumbled upon a treasure trove of gold worth billions of rupiah.
The story began during the end-of-year school break. Seger was both happy and anxious. He was pleased to be on holiday but worried he would not be able to afford the school fees once lessons resumed. To cover his school costs, Seger used the holiday to work as a farm labourer. He decided to stay near his home in East Java while looking for rice fields to work on. He was happy not to be at school, even though he had to earn money.
‘I worked as a labourer because I needed money to pay my school fees, which were two months overdue. My report card was also being withheld,’ Seger told the daily Suara Karya on 2 December 1989. From early June, he hoed and levelled other people’s rice fields every day from morning until dusk under the scorching sun. The work was not easy, but Seger had no choice.
Then, fate intervened. On 21 June 1989, while hoeing the soil half a metre deep, Seger’s hoe suddenly struck something hard. It was not a rock, but a strange metallic clang, like the sound of gold striking gold. Curious, Seger dug deeper. He was shocked to find a flat object made of pure gold, adorned with gems and diamonds. He called two friends and together they took the mysterious object to the police station.
The discovery immediately caused a stir in the community. National media widely reported on Seger and his unexpected story. The village boy who had initially used his holiday time and was struggling to pay for school was now known for finding treasure.
After examination by the relevant authorities, the object Seger found was determined to have dimensions of approximately 25x35 cm and weighed 1.2 kilograms. The object was made of pure gold and decorated with 48 gems and diamonds. In some parts, reliefs depicting a sun and a Garuda bird were visible. According to a Kompas report from 2 December 1989, experts suspected the object dated back to the late Majapahit Kingdom period. This assumption was based on the ornaments carved on the gold surface, namely the sun relief symbolising the Majapahit Kingdom and the Garuda bird known as the vehicle of the god Vishnu in Hindu mythology.
In material terms, Seger’s find was extremely valuable. The 1.2 kilograms of gold alone was worth billions of rupiah, not to mention the value of the gems, diamonds, and its historical significance. Using current gold prices, the value of the gold is at least equivalent to Rp3.1 billion. This figure could be much higher if the artistic and archaeological value were included. However, Seger could not enjoy the full value of the treasure. In accordance with regulations, the historical object was immediately handed over to the state and is now stored in the National Museum in Jakarta. As a token of appreciation, President Soeharto at the time provided compensation of Rp19.4 million to Seger and guaranteed an educational scholarship up to university level. Although he did not become a young billionaire, Seger had no regrets. For him, he gained a once-in-a-lifetime experience of finding treasure during the school holidays. Moreover, because of the treasure, his name went viral and he was able to continue his education without worrying about the cost.