The discovery, which took place completely by chance, was made by a passionate English treasure hunter
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himThe discovery, which took place completely by chance, was made by a passionate English treasure hunter
It was ten years since Michael Leigh-Mallory no longer devoted himself to his passion, that of look for ancient treasures. He had "hung up" his metal detector to devote himself to his children, but it was they, grown up, who pushed him to resume his business and take them with him, to the discovery of exciting finds.
On September 26th, after having always brought to light little things (pieces of iron, rings, metal waste), Michael's life changed thanks to an incredible find: a gold coin dating back to 1257 (reign of Henry III). The man, 52, had never come across such a precious object (found by chance in a field near Hemyock, in the United Kingdom) and has only to thank his children who pushed him to take metal back into his hands. detector.
Last Sunday, the very precious coin was auctioned by the Spink & Son agency and sold for a record 540.000 pounds (647562,60 XNUMX euros). The buyer, who remained anonymous, would still live in the United Kingdom and has expressed his intention to sell the find to a museum, so that it can be studied and observed by enthusiasts.
The coin
The coin was hidden under a very thin layer of soil - just 10 centimeters of earth separated it from the sunlight. Small in size (just under an inch wide, or about two and a half centimeters) it is made of pure gold: on the front it depicts King Henry III seated on the throne, while on the back it is possible to see a Latin cross with roses.
Here is the detail of the precious coin (@ Spink & Son)
According to archaeologists, this is a particularly valuable find since it is the first time, in over 260 years of history, that such an ancient coin has been unearthed. Currently eight coins of this bill have been found - all exhibited in museums and collections. Experts estimate that around 52.000 coins were minted at the time and their value today would have been equivalent to around 60 pounds.
Sources: BBC / Spink & Son
We also recommend:
- The largest ichthyosaur fossil ever found so far has been unearthed
- Two huge Sphinx-shaped statues were discovered in the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III in Luxor
- Incredible! Perfectly preserved and forgotten dinosaur embryo found in a museum
