A family discovered a hoard of gold coins in their garden (5 photos)

While weeding their garden in Hampshire, UK, a couple discovered a cache of 70 Tudor-era coins. The gold artifacts were valued at £230,000.





The find will be auctioned in Switzerland.

The oldest coins date back to the 1420s, during the reign of King Henry VI. However, most date back to the 1530s, during the reign of Henry VIII.

Some coins bear the initials of his two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Jane Seymour.



Henry VIII, angel, 1st mintage, London, 1513-1526

Location: Milford-on-Sea, Hants, near the ancient Christchurch Priory.

The hoard is believed to have been hidden by a wealthy churchman during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the secularization of church property by Henry VIII.





Double Rose Crown, issued in 1536-1537



Medieval Christchurch Church

The coins will be auctioned by numismatist David Guest in Zurich. Each coin is being sold separately, but the total value is £230,000.

Typically, hoard owners must share the proceeds with the landowner, but in this case, the family found the treasure on their own property.

"A couple from Milford-on-Sea discovered a hoard of gold coins while gardening. They were digging in a flowerbed and discovered round objects in the clay soil. After cleaning, they were determined to be gold coins, and the couple continued excavating, finding a total of 64 coins," says David Guest. "They reported the find, and the coins were examined at the British Museum. Archaeologists conducted additional excavations and discovered six more coins. The oldest date back to the 1420s, during the reign of Henry VI, and the latest to 1537, during the reign of Henry VIII. All the coins are in excellent condition."



He noted: "In total, there were 26 pounds, which was the price of the house at the time. This was a significant amount. I doubt many Englishmen of that time had ever seen gold coins. The savings could have belonged to a wealthy merchant or a wealthy church minister."

Guest mentioned that the sellers were a married couple in their fifties with two children.

He added: "They've lived in this house for a long time and, it turns out, they've struck gold."