NEW DELHI: A British couple discovered a shocking wealth hidden beneath the floor of over 1, 000 17th- era coins while renovating their kitchen, The Guardian reported.
Betty and Robert Fooks, hailing from Dorset, found historic coins from the room’s concrete floor while excavating to raise ceiling height. The couple discovered cash ranging from silver coins from James I and Charles I to gold half crowns, shillings, and sixpences from different eras, including Elizabeth I and Philip and Mary.
Upon finding the coins, the Fooks promptly reported their discovery to local authorities, who forwarded the artifacts to the British Museum for cleaning and identification. Now, the coins are set to go under the hammer at Duke’s auctioneers in Dorchester, Dorset, with an anticipated value of approximately £35, 000.
An NHS health visitor, Betty Fooks, described the unexpected find, noting that the hidden treasure was revealed when renovations were carried out on the ground floor. She speculated that the original owner had no idea how to retrieve the coins, according to The Guardian.
There was a lot of work to be done because it is a 400-year-old house. We were removing every inch of the floor and ceiling and returning it to its stone walls. We made the decision to lower the ground floor to increase the ceiling height. One evening, while my husband was digging with a pick axe, he called to let us know they had discovered something. He put all the coins in a bucket. If we had n’t lowered the floor, they would still be hidden there. I assume the person had an intention to retrieve them but never had the chance,” Betty continued.
The house, which Fooks and his wife bought in a small village in west Dorset, is described as a 17th-century masterpiece by Julian Smith, a specialist at Duke’s auctioneers.
