Kitchen Renovation Unearths $800,000 Treasure Trove Of Rare Coins

A couple's kitchen renovation in 2019 led to an extraordinary discovery, unearthing a collection of 264 rare gold coins from 1610 to 1727, which sold at auction for a staggering £754,000 ($842,330).

The couple, who chose to remain anonymous, stumbled upon the hidden treasure while removing their kitchen floor.

The impressive collection of English gold coins is thought to have once belonged to the Fernley-Maisters, a prominent trading family from Hull, East Yorkshire, who amassed their wealth through Baltic trading ventures, according to BusinessInsider, which cited BBC News.

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Spink & Son, the auction house that managed the sale, told the BBC that the auction drew significant international interest. Private collectors from across the globe, including the U.S., Europe, Australia, China, and Japan, eagerly participated in the bidding war.

Auctioneer Gregory Edmund shared his excitement with Insider: "I have never seen a response to an auction like that before, and the results testify it, my provisional estimate was demolished three times over. It dwarfed any pre-conceived expectations and set dozens of world records along the way."

The most sought-after coin in the collection, dating back to 1720, fetched £62,400 ($69,710) at the auction. Spink & Son dubbed it the "Unbelievable Mint Error" gold coin, as it was minted during King George I's reign and featured two tails instead of a head.

The rare coins were concealed beneath a layer of concrete and 18th-century floorboards in the couple's kitchen. Edmund described the find to the BBC as "120 years of English history hidden in a pot the same size as a soda can."

He added, "The story was extraordinary, and that is what achieved the mind-blowing result. I do hope people think before ripping up their floors, though."

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Photo: The "Unbelievable Mint Error" gold coin, courtesy of Spink & Son