A metal detectorist recently unearthed his first ever gold coin, which turned out to be worth a whopping £648,000.
Michael Leigh-Mallory, 52, found the coin on farmland in Hemyock, Devon last September while on his first metal detecting outing in a decade after being inspired to pick the hobby back up by his kids.
At first, he was completely unaware about how valuable the coin was, until a specialist at Spink auctioneers, London, spotted it on his Facebook page and revealed it was a super rare Henry III penny which is said to show the first ‘true’ portrait of an English King on his throne since the time of William the Conqueror.
There are just eight of the coins known to exist - most of which are currently held in museums.
Michael’s coin recently went under the hammer, where it was snapped up for £540,000 - with some additional fees that meant the buyer ended up forking out £648,000.
The impressive sum is a world record for Henry III coin and also the most valuable Mediaeval English coin ever sold at auction
The unnamed buyer said he will loan the coin to a museum or institution.
Michael will split the cash down the middle with the landowner and said he plans to spend his share on the future education of his history-loving kids.
He said: "It is quite surreal really. I'm just a normal guy who lives in Devon with his family so this really is a life changing sum of money which will go towards their futures.
"But its not all about the money - for me its about the history. I'm very passionate about British history. Its an honour to be connected to this find and I will remember this day for the rest of my life.
"I have just been to Westminster Abbey to say thank you to Henry - if he had never have minted this coin then I would never have found it.
"I am so pleased that the coin will stay in the UK because the collector is loaning it to a
museum.
"My children, Emily and Harry, are very much a part of this story. I used to be a keen metal detectorist but once I had a family the detector ended up getting buried in a cupboard.
"One day my wife said to me, 'you realise you promised you'd take the kids metal detecting.'
"So, I said, 'right kids - we're going detecting'. We found an Elizabethan coin which they were so excited by. It really ignited my passion so I invested in a new detector.
"The day after it arrived I went out into this field it was a bright, sunny day and within 15 minutes I found the coin. I knew it was gold but I had no idea how important it was.
"Both of my kids are very passionate about history. Emily has joined a local archaeology society and may study it at university so the money could go towards that.
"I am humbled and honoured to be linked with the discovery and subsequent history afforded to us by the staggering research undertaken by Spink and the wider academic community about this coin.
"The money will be put towards my children's future who are both showing the same passion for our history as me.
"In fact, I really owe it to them for having found the coin in the first place, as they were my inspiration to go out prospecting.
"Had it not been for a promise I made to my children to go out searching and being rewarded with an Elizabethan coin a few weeks before, I do not believe this gold coin would ever have been found.
"The fine margin between discovery and loss makes this result all the more remarkable."
Topics: UK News
Claire Reid