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WHITCHURCH, Wales — While searching for his lost keys, a Welsh farmer came across an unlikely treasure: 14 medieval coins that date back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
Ifor Edwards, 56, dropped his keys in a field on his property, Oak Farm in Bronington in June 2012. When he couldn’t find them, he brought in a team of metal-detecting enthusiasts from the Wrexham Heritage Society.
Eventually, Cliff Massey, 83 found the keys — which had been through a lawnmower — along with several medieval coins.
“We only bought the land three years ago and nothing like this has ever been found before,” Edwards told the Shropshire Star newspaper.
Massey said Edwards had not ploughed the field in some time, and after he did so, Massey was able to unearth several more coins, bringing the total up to 14 coins. Eight feature the face of Henry VI, four the face of Edward III and two show Henry V.
“It is a once in a lifetime thing,” Edwards said. “It is such a shock, you just can’t quite believe it. You realise those coins were there before they ever found America or anything. You just can’t believe you’re holding something that is 600 and something years old.”
The Edward Besly of National Museum Wales found the coins were more than 90 percent silver, and declared them a “treasure.” According to the Shropshire Star, Wrexham County Borough Museum has expressed interest in purchasing the coins. Proceeds would be split between Edwards and Massey.
Beth Weingast, a member of the Appraiser’s Association of America, told Yahoo! Shine that the coins looked like a “groat,” a currency used in Old England. She estimated the currency’s worth between $700 to $800.
"It’s likely made with very thin sheets of silver and very bendable—it's as thick as a sheet of thin, pliable metal,” Weingast said. “Back then, many people bent and clipped the lettering off the coins and sold them at higher prices—the fact that this coin is unclipped means it may have been buried right after it was minted. Even if you saw this coin in a museum, it likely would have been clipped.”
Top image: Daily Post
