It could not be found for centuries: a treasure of gold coins was found under the floorboards of an ordinary house

While renovating a kitchen in an ordinary English home, contractors discovered gold hidden under the floorboards.

coins worth about $300,000. They date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The cache, the cost of which is at the auctionvalued at around $290,000, is considered one of the largest hoards of 17th and 18th century English gold coins ever found in Britain. In total, workers found 260 gold coins dating between 1610 and 1727.

The contractors unearthed an earthenware cup with glaze fromsalt when floorboards were lifted during a renovation project for an 18th-century house located in Ellerby, a village in North Yorkshire. It is about the size of a soda can.

The coins are one of the largest archaeological finds in the UK. Photo: Courtesy of Spink & Son

Upon further inspection, workers discoveredrattling coins inside the cup, which consisted mainly of £50 and £100 coins "in use at the time". A Brazilian coin was also found in the vessel. This is stated in a statement by the London auction house Spink & Son.

“This is a wonderful and truly unexpected discovery in such an ordinary place,” Gregory Edmund, auctioneer for Spink & Son.

According to the statement, the coins are likelyowned by Joseph and Sarah Fearnley-Meisters. They are members of an influential family of merchants, which included several members of parliament. They lived in the area in the late 1600s and early 1700s.

Coins. Photo: Courtesy Spink & Son

“Joseph and Sarah clearly did not trust just nowcreated the Bank of England, banknotes and even gold coins of that time, which is why they kept so many coins dating from the Civil War in England and before it, the actionist noted. “Why the coins haven’t been found until now is an even bigger mystery, but it’s a damn big piggy bank.”

Next month the treasury will be put on displayAuction Spink & Son and is expected to sell for almost $300,000. Auctioneers say it is one of the largest archaeological finds in Britain.

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Cover photo: Courtesy of Spink & Son