KITCHEN RENOVATION REVEALS GOLD COINS WORTH R5 MILLION
A kitchen renovation in North Yorkshire led to much more than just a fresh new kitchen for the homeowners.
During the renovations, a plastic cup the size of a can of cooldrink was discovered buried under floorboards and concrete.
The contents were removed and turned out to be more than 260 gold coins dating from the 1600s to the 1700s. The discovery was made in 2019.
It’s likely that the coins belonged to the family who owned the house during that time, the Fernley-Maisters.
News24 reports that the family made their wealth as importers and exporters of iron ore, timber, and coal from the Baltic, and some family members served in Parliament in the early 1700s.
The gold coins are believed to be worth up to R5 million. Auction house Spink & Son has confirmed that the coins will go under the hammer in October.
Why the coins were never guarded by the family was revealed in a press release by the auction house.
“The family line dies out soon after (the coins were hidden) and presumably is the reason the coins were never recovered.”
The press release also stated that Joseph and Sarah, the couple to whom the coins belonged, died in 1725 and 1745, respectively.
Image credit: The Times