Renovating an old house, a couple found a "treasure trove" of gold coins

A lucky couple found a treasure worth 1.1 billion VND buried under the floorboards while they were renovating the kitchen.

Betty and Robert Fooks never imagined that their newly purchased home in Dorset, England, would house a 400-year-old treasure worth £35,000.

The couple were renovating the kitchen of their 17th-century home when they made a life-changing discovery . The Fooks bought the house in 2019 and began renovations to create more space for their family. But beneath the floorboards, hidden for years, was a hoard of gold coins.

The Fooks made a huge fortune after finding a historic coin hoard.

The treasure was put up for sale at Duke's Auction House, in Dorchester, Dorset.

Robert and Betty Fooks' house (bottom right) is located in a small village in West Dorset.

The floor was removed and dug down 60 cm.

“It’s a 400-year-old house so there was a lot of work to be done,” said a stunned Betty. “We had to take out all the floors and ceilings. We decided to lower the ground floor to increase the ceiling height.”

Fooks picked up a pickaxe and, under the light of a flashlight, unearthed a treasure trove of 400-year-old coins buried about 60cm underground. Fooks carefully counted the treasure and found a total of 1,029 coins, including several gold coins bearing the faces of King James I and King Charles I.

The 43-year-old added: “One evening I was digging with the kids and my husband with a pickaxe when he said they had found something. He put all the money in a bucket and brought it home to me.

If we hadn't taken them down they would still be there. It's amazing and fascinating. I guess they were buried during the English Civil War and people were going to get them back but never got the chance."

The coins have been cleaned by the British Museum.

1,029 historic coins worth £35,000 discovered under the floor.

A Charles I Gold Unite coin worth £2,000 was part of the treasure found.

The coins date back to the English Civil War from 1642 to 1644. The coins will now be auctioned at Duke's Auction House in Dorchester.

The extraordinary find was reported to a local employee and they were then taken to the British Museum for examination and cleaning. Duke's Auctioneer Julian Smith described the Fooks house as a property rich in history.

“These coins have been identified and cleaned by the British Museum,” Mr Smith said. The auction is scheduled to take place on April 23.

(According to 24h, April 20)

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