An anonymous couple located in Ellerby, East Yorkshire have recently undertaken a renovation that’s more than paid for itself. Beneath the concrete and 18th century floorboards of their otherwise ordinary kitchen, they were fortunate enough to discover an urn filled with over 260 gold coins dated between the years 1610 to 1727.
“Picture the scene: you’re choosing to re-lay your uneven kitchen floor, you put a pick-axe through the concrete, and just beneath you see a tiny sliver of gold,” said auctioneer and international coin expert Gregory Edmund of Spink & Son.
“At the time, you think it must just be a bit of electrical cable, but you find it’s a gold round disc and beneath it there are hundreds more.”
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The gold coins hidden below the humble East Yorkshire kitchen previously belonged to Fernley-Maisters, according to the BBC, a Hull family involved in Baltic trading. And it attracted the attention of private collectors from all corners of the world.
The most desirable coin was an imperfectly minted piece from 1720 that fetched the highest individual price of £62,400 ($109,700). All up, the haul reached a hammer price of £628,000 ($1.1 million) with the final purchase price including fees coming to a total of £754,000 ($1.3 million). Certainly not the worst result from tearing apart your home.
Edmund described the treasure trove as “120 years of English history hidden in a pot the same size as a soda can,” calling the entire bidding process for the most sought-after coins “electrifying.”
“I will never see an auction like this again,” remarked Gregory Edmund.
