NEW DELHI: A British couple discovered an amazing treasure hidden under the floorboards of more than 1,000 17th-century coins while renovating their kitchen, The Guardian reported.
Betty and Robert Fuchs, from Dorset, unearthed an ancient coin from the concrete floor of their kitchen while excavating to increase the height of the ceiling. The couple discovered coins ranging from gold coins from James I and Charles I to silver half-crowns, shillings and sixpence from various reigns, including Elizabeth I and Philip and Mary.
As soon as the Hooks discovered the coin, they reported it to local authorities, who sent the artifact to the British Museum for cleaning and identification. The coin will now be auctioned at Duke Auctioneers in Dorchester, Dorset, with an expected price of around £35,000.
NHS health visitor Betty Fuchs recounted the unexpected discovery, pointing out that the decision to lower the first floor during the refurbishment revealed hidden treasures. She speculated that the original owner probably intended to retrieve the coin but never had the chance, The Guardian reported.
“It's a 400-year-old house, so we had a lot of work to do. We removed all the floors and ceilings and put back stone walls. We decided to lower the first floor to increase the ceiling height.” … One night, while I was with the kids, my husband was digging with a pickaxe and called me to tell me that he had found something. If we hadn't lowered the floor, they would have put all the coins in the bucket. They're probably still hidden there, and I think the person intended to retrieve them, but they never got the chance,” Betty added.
Dukes auctioneer Julian Smith said the cottage the Fuchses bought was a 17th-century tenement house in a small hamlet in west Dorset.
Betty and Robert Fuchs, from Dorset, unearthed an ancient coin from the concrete floor of their kitchen while excavating to increase the height of the ceiling. The couple discovered coins ranging from gold coins from James I and Charles I to silver half-crowns, shillings and sixpence from various reigns, including Elizabeth I and Philip and Mary.
As soon as the Hooks discovered the coin, they reported it to local authorities, who sent the artifact to the British Museum for cleaning and identification. The coin will now be auctioned at Duke Auctioneers in Dorchester, Dorset, with an expected price of around £35,000.
NHS health visitor Betty Fuchs recounted the unexpected discovery, pointing out that the decision to lower the first floor during the refurbishment revealed hidden treasures. She speculated that the original owner probably intended to retrieve the coin but never had the chance, The Guardian reported.
“It's a 400-year-old house, so we had a lot of work to do. We removed all the floors and ceilings and put back stone walls. We decided to lower the first floor to increase the ceiling height.” … One night, while I was with the kids, my husband was digging with a pickaxe and called me to tell me that he had found something. If we hadn't lowered the floor, they would have put all the coins in the bucket. They're probably still hidden there, and I think the person intended to retrieve them, but they never got the chance,” Betty added.
Dukes auctioneer Julian Smith said the cottage the Fuchses bought was a 17th-century tenement house in a small hamlet in west Dorset.
