STOCKHOLM – The documents, described as “extremely important,” had been missing for nearly 50 years and were found in a private residence in Blekinge, southern Sweden.

The patents were uncovered by a couple while on summer vacation at their home and were later brought to the attention of an auction house, which contacted the foundation.

“We received a call from someone at an auction house who told us that a couple in southern Sweden, in Blekinge, had found some documents while at home on summer vacation,” said Hanna Stjärne, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation.

She stated that the foundation examined the documents after recovering them, “and found them to be extremely important, and we wish to preserve them for future generations.”
Although it remains unclear how the couple came into possession of the documents, Stjärne emphasised their historical and scientific value: “Browsing through these documents gives us an insight into what life was like 150 years ago, and into Alfred Nobel’s travels and work across Europe.”

The collection included rare items, including an important patent dating back to 1865, according to Nobel Museum curator Ulf Larsson.

Alfred Nobel, who died in 1896, held hundreds of patents across multiple countries, many of which related to the development and application of nitroglycerin-based explosives. Among the newly discovered items is a particularly notable patent from 1865, according to Ulf Larsson, curator at the Nobel Museum.

The Nobel Prizes have been awarded since 1901 to honour people who have contributed “to the service of humanity,” according to the will of their creator.