Norwegian school finds lost traditional silver jewellery ahead of national day

A green bag containing valuable traditional Norwegian silver jewellery, known as bunadssølv, was accidentally donated to a flea market outside Nordpolen School in Oslo, local media Dagbladet reports. The school’s music corps is now racing to return the items to their owner before Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17.

The bag was initially handed in during the corps’ April flea market, filled with what first appeared to be second-hand items. “We received the bag full of fleas [small items] and put out a call for the owner at the time, but no one came forward,” said Inger Johanne Kjelsen, chair of the school’s music corps. Only later did they discover it contained bunadssølv—decorative silver pieces worn with Norway’s traditional folk costume, the bunad.

On Wednesday, the corps posted an urgent appeal on Facebook: “Someone dropped off this bag full of small items, but we don’t think they meant to donate the bunadssølv! We’ve kept it safe, so if you’re panicking because your silver is missing before May 17, let us know—describe the items, and we’ll return them.”

Kjelsen told Dagbladet that multiple people have since contacted the corps, and they believe they’ve identified the rightful owner, who could describe the contents in detail. “We’ve been in touch with several people and think we’ve found the correct owner now,” she said. “We’re quite confident this will have a happy ending.”

Norway’s Constitution Day, celebrated on May 17, is a major national holiday where many wear traditional bunad outfits, often accessorised with inherited or heirloom silver jewellery.