Rare coins and valuable notes

A COUPLE have made a stunning discovery of English treasure while weeding their back garden and are set to sell it for £230k.

The husband and wife found an extraordinary stash of 70 gold Tudor coins in clumps of clay soil at their suburban home in Hampshire.

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After they wiped off the mud and laid out the coins on the decking, it dawned on them that they were remarkably preserved.

They’re now set to go to auction in Zurich, Switzerland in November where they’re expected to fetch an estimated £230,000.

The earliest coin dates back to the reign of King Henry VI in the 1420s but a large number are from the 1530s and the reign of Henry VIII.

Some contain the initials of two of Henry’s wives, Catherine of Aragon and James Seymour.

They were found in Milford-on-Sea which is near the historic Christchurch Priory.

The hoard may have been buried for safekeeping by an exceptionally wealthy church cleric during the time of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries and Catholic priories.

The couple, who have asked not to be named for fear treasure hunters may descend on their quiet street, notified the authorities of their find in 2020.

Although the hoard was initially declared as treasure, it was later disclaimed and returned to the couple as no museums or institutions were in a position to buy it during the pandemic.

The coins are now set to go under the hammer at David Guest Numismatics’ auction in Switzerland where they will be sold individually.

It’s usually the case with coin hoards that a portion of the proceeds must go to the landowner, but in this case the finders are the landowners.

The couple are said to be “excited” about the sales which will be like a lottery win for them.

Auctioneer David Guest said: “It is a fantastic hoard found by a couple while they were gardening at the end of the garden of their home in Milford-on-Sea.

“They were digging in a flower border and found these circular discs in a clump of clay soil.

“They put them on the decking and washed them off and realised they were gold coins so they carried on digging and found a total of 64 of them in the same spot.

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“After they notified the Portable Antiquities Scheme the coins were examined by the British Museum.

“They organised a further archaeological dig of the site and found six more coins.

“The earliest coins are from the reign of Henry VI in the 1420s and they go right up to 1537 and the reign of Henry VIII.

“They are in a remarkable state of preservation.”

Guest added that it was clearly a hoard assembled over a long period of time and that the coins amounted to £26 which was the equivalent price of a house back then.

“It was a lot of money. I doubt most people in England at the time ever saw a gold coin,” he said.

“The gold coins could have belonged to a merchant of considerable wealth or a church cleric who was very rich.

“Milford-on-Sea would have been part of the estate of Christchurch Priory at the time.

“The dissolution of the monasteries was a very tumultuous time and we know that other hoards were buried at this time to keep money away from the King’s commissioners that sought to take control of lands.”

He said the couple who made the find were in their 50s with two children and added “they were sitting on a gold mine”.

“I don’t think anyone digging in their back garden can imagine what it would be like to find one gold coin from Tudor times let alone a hoard of 70.

“The combined pre-sale estimate is a considerable amount of money and a life changing amount for the vendors.

“I have invited them out for the sale but I don’t know if they are coming yet but they are very excited. We have considerable interest in the sale.

“Hoards always attract interest as people love stories about the thrill of finding buried treasure.

“Combined with the quality of many of the coins and the state of preservation adds to the appeal.”

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THE final batch of £1 coins featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait will enter circulation for the last time – and they could be worth a pretty penny.

More than 23million of the coins are being released today, Wednesday August 20 by the Royal Mint has said.

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That means you could spot one in your change in the coming weeks.

These pieces will be the final ones bearing Elizabeth II’s portrait to enter circulation.

Plus, the Royal Mint said these coins dated 2022, are the rarest £1 coins in active circulation.

If you are keen to spot the coin, there are a few details you can spot.

The front, or heads side, of the coin features a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth and the date 2022.

While the reverse, or tails side, features an image of a crown with an English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh leek and Northern Irish shamrock.

The coin joins a raft of other rare £1 pieces, including the 2011 Edinburgh City coin that has sold for 95 times its face value.

These coins have a mintage of just 935,000, making it a rare find.

Back in June, the coin sold for £23 on eBay after 21 bids.

The coin was part of a series depicting the four capital cities of the UK and is the only £1 coin with a mintage below one million.

In comparison, a recent bidder paid £7.53 for one of the coins after fighting off bids from five others.

But coins are only worth what sellers are willing to pay for them.

So another piece may sell for a higher or lower price later down the line.

It comes as the official maker of UK coins is also set to release 7.5 million new King Charles III £1 coins.

The 50p and £1 are the only denominations with Charles’s portrait to have entered circulation so far.

The King’s £1 coins feature an intricate bee design on the reverse and are part of the Definitive collection, inspired by the flora and fauna of the British Isles.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “This release represents a pivotal moment in British coinage history.

“As we release more of the King Charles III £1 coins into circulation alongside the final coins of Queen Elizabeth II, we’re witnessing the physical representation of our monarchy’s transition.”

She added: “This dual release creates an exceptional opportunity for both seasoned numismatists and those new to coin collecting.”

“Finding these new coins in your change could spark a rewarding hobby that connects you with the heritage, history and craftsmanship behind British currency.”

And that is not the only rare coin that collectors are keen to get their hands on.

The Kew Gardens 50p recently fetched £205 on eBay after 29 buyers battled it out for the piece.

Other rare coins to keep an eye out for are the Atlantic Salmon 50p,

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also, if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky, you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

This will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.