A LUCKY couple has found a £35,000 hoard buried beneath their floorboards while renovating their kitchen.
Betty and Robert Fooks never thought their newly bought country cottage in Dorset would hide a 400-year-old treasure.
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The couple were renovating the kitchen of their 17th century property when they spotted a life-changing discovery.
The Fooks, who bought the house in 2019, embarked on renovations with the aim of creating more space for the family.
But beneath the floorboards, hidden from view for years, there was a trove of golden coins.
The stunned Betty said: “It is a 400 year old house so there was lots of work to do.
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“We were taking all the floors and ceilings out and took it back to its stone walls.
“We decided to lower the ground floor to give us more ceiling height.”
As Robert wielded a pickaxe by torchlight, he unearthed a hoard brimming with 400-year-old coins buried around 2ft beneath ground.
Among the 1,029 coins were pristine examples of gold King James I and King Charles I mints.
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The 43-year-old added: “One evening, I was with the children and my husband was digging with a pick axe when he called to say they’ve found something.
“He put all the coins in a bucket and brought them home to me.”
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The currency dates back to the English Civil War era between 1642 and 1644.
The NHS health visitor said: “If we hadn’t lowered the floor they would still be hidden there.
“It is amazing and fascinating [to find the hoard].
“I presume they were buried during the English Civil War and the person intended to retrieve them but never got the chance.”
The coins are now set to go under the hammer at Duke’s Auctioneers in Dorchester.
The extraordinary find was reported to a local finds officer and they were then took to the British Museum to be examined and cleaned.
Specialist at Duke’s Auctioneers Julian Smith described the Fooks’ cottage as a property steeped in history.
Mr Smith said: “The coins have been with the British Museum for identification and cleaning, and they feel the coins were deposited on one occasion around 1642-4.”
The sale is set to take place on April 23.
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It comes as a rare gold coin dating back nearly 700 years has sold for an eye-watering sum after being found down a field drain.
The 14th century artefact was found in Norfolk in 1910 and dates back to the reign of King Edward III.
Rare coins and valuable notes – is yours worth a mint?
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