THE stunned family of a keen coin collector discovered more than 1,000 valuable pieces hidden around the house after he died.
The secret treasure trove includes a William III crown dating back to 1696 and is tipped to sell for almost £18k at auction.
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The businessman from Luton, Bedfordshire spent 50 years amassing the rare collection, but his family had no idea how many he had tucked away.
A routine clear-out of his belongings quickly turned into a treasure hunt for his widow and daughter as they uncovered coins in shoe boxes, the wardrobe and his office desk drawers.
The collection includes a gold Edward VII 1902 £2 coin worth £700, a William IV 1834 half-crown valued at £120 and a George III 1819 crown worth £160. The William III crown is valued at £150.
The widow, who is not being named, said: “I found most of the coins a couple of months ago but more turned up over the course of the next few weeks.
“I kept finding more every time I cleared another part of the house.
“They were in drawers and cupboards or wrapped up among other things. Most were in a wardrobe but I found a lot more locked away in my husband’s old office desk.
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“I had no idea he had so many and, to be honest, I think he’d forgotten about some of them.
“He started collecting in the mid-1970s and his hobby carried on for more than 40 years. It was just something he liked to do.”
Amanda West-Butler, director of operations at Bedfordshire auction firm Hanson Ross, said she could hardly believe her eyes.
She said: “It was an amazing discovery.
“When I went to meet the family I couldn’t believe how many coins they’d uncovered – and more coins keep turning up.
“It’s a find that keeps on giving.
“Coins cropped up all over the place.
“The family kept calling me to tell me they’d found more.
“A collector’s passion can never be underestimated, I suppose.”
She went on to say that while auctioning a lot of the coins, the gentleman’s widow is keeping a few coins for “sentimental reasons”.
She said: “She is keeping a few coins for sentimental reasons.
“For example, some have been made into jewellery.
“However, she wants the others to go to people who will enjoy them as much as her husband did.”
The auction takes place on May 12.
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