Couple found Tudor treasure in their garden: 70 gold coins to be sold for £230,000.

Astonishing Discovery

According to The Sun: The couple made an astonishing discovery of English treasure while working in their garden, and they plan to sell it for £230,000.

They discovered an unusual hoard of 70 gold Tudor coins in clumps of clay at their suburban home in Hampshire.

After cleaning the coins of dirt and laying them out on the terrace, they were amazed by the preservation of their find.

An auction is now planned for Zurich, Switzerland, in November, where it is expected that the coins will fetch around £230,000.

Treasure Overview

The oldest coin dates back to the reign of King Henry VI in the 1420s, but most of them belong to the 1530s during the reign of Henry VIII.

Some of the coins bear the initials of Henry's two wives: Catherine of Aragon and Jane Seymour.

The find occurred in Milford-on-Sea, near the historic Christchurch Priory.

It is quite possible that the treasure was buried by a very wealthy cleric during the dissolution of the monasteries and Catholic priories in the time of Henry VIII.

The couple, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid the attention of treasure hunters, reported their find to the authorities back in 2020.

Initially, the find was deemed treasure, but later it was decided to return the coins to the couple due to the lack of buyers during the pandemic.

The coins are set to be auctioned in Switzerland, where they will be sold individually.

Usually, a portion of the proceeds from the sale goes to the landowner, but in this case, the find belongs to the discoverers themselves.

“This is a fantastic treasure found by a couple while working in their garden,” said auctioneer David Guest.

The couple is thrilled at the opportunity to sell the coins, considering it a kind of lottery win.

“I don’t think that anyone digging in their backyard could imagine that they would find one gold coin from the Tudor period, let alone an entire treasure of 70 coins.”

The auction has generated great interest due to the story behind the find and the quality condition of the coins.