Man Searching For Mate's Wedding Ring Finds Gold Coins Worth £100,000

Any metal detectorist will tell you it's all about patience, as you wait for that one moment where you strike gold - or at least I imagine that's what they'd tell you, I've never actually spoken to one.

For two detectorists in Northern Ireland, the moment they dreamed of became a reality when they quite literally struck gold last Tuesday (29 October).

Paul Raynard and Michael Gwynne were on holiday in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, when a farmer friend of theirs asked if they would look for his wedding ring that he had dropped in a field.

Unfortunately for the farmer, they were unable to find the ring; however, extremely fortunately for Mr Raynard and Mr Gwynne, they did find a hoard of 84 gold coins, some of which date back to King Henry VIII's reign in the early 1500s.

In footage of the moment they unearthed the special find, Mr Raynard, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, says: "Michael, this is it - this is what we dreamed of."

The coins are currently being valued by Ulster Museum, but Mr Rayanard said experts have told him the entire hoard may be worth more than £100,000 ($128,578)

BBC

Reflecting on the golden moment, 44-year-old Mr Raynard said it was an 'absolutely amazing feeling'.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "First thing I found was a five pence piece and the second thing I found were (sic) a horseshoe - so that must have been my lucky horseshoe.

"The next thing, when I dug the hole, I just saw three coins at the top and I knew straight away it was a hoard, so I was just pulling coins and coins out and it were (sic) just an amazing feeling, absolutely amazing feeling."

One of the coins alone is estimated to be worth £5,000 ($6,428) and Mr Gwynne said the discovery made his detectorist buddy very emotional.

BBC

He said: "I just saw this little figure running from side to side, and with knowing Paul, who gets very giddy, I says: 'He's excited, he's found something'.

"So I walked down and the closer I got I realised that it wasn't shouting, he was crying."

It will take several months for all of the coins to be valued in full, but the money will be split equally between Mr Raynard and the landowner if they choose to sell the hoard on for cash.

Hopefully if he does he will spend a portion on buying his farmer friend a new wedding ring.

Topics: Awesome, Interesting, Community

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey