Angler expecting a fish pulls up rare 700-year-old sword: 'Real treasures'

The discovery was announced by the Capital Conservator of Monuments in Warsaw last month.

"It was supposed to be this big a fish - but it turned out to be this big a sword!" the post read.

The fisherman surrendered the sword to local authorities, who transferred it to local experts.

The Facebook page's post noted that the sword is preserved "almost in its full length" and features both a spherical pommel and a cross mark on its grip.

"A more precise date may be determined thanks to the cross mark, which is the 'signature' of the blacksmith who made it," she added. "Research is ongoing."

She said the length of the sword, including the hilt, is over 31 inches.

"A sword this old, found in what is now Warsaw, is unique."

The circumstances of why the sword was dropped in the river are now lost to time. 

She concluded, "The sword was found in a river, meaning it was discovered without context - that is, without other artifacts that could tell us more about it."