"Many Photos" - Rare 14th century gold coin worth up to £3,000 is found hidden inside a wooden bureau

A rare 14th century gold coin worth up to £3,000 was found hidden inside a £60 wooden chest which had been gifted to a family support worker by a long-lost cousin.

Anne Clapp, 37, from Derbyshire, was left the 20th century George II-style bureau in a will.

But she had no idea that inside a secret draw was stashed a 650-year-old Raymond IV Prince of Orange Franc A pied coin. 

The 650-year-old gold coin is a 22ct Raymond IV Prince of Orange A pied and is worth up to £3,000

It was found stashed inside a secret drawer of a bureau which was gifted to Anne Clapp by a long-lost cousin in his will

Mrs Clapp said: 'I can't even remember meeting my great cousin but I received a letter from a solicitor before Christmas informing me that I'd been left various items of furniture. Apparently, the will was written when I was 13 years old.'

The coin, which can be traced back to 1365, was unknown to Mrs Clapp until she took it to Hansons Auctioneers where is was discovered by furniture valuer Edward Rycroft.  

Mr Rycroft has a decade's experience in valuing historic items but admitted this is the first time he has ever stumbled across an item of such value in a hidden compartment.  

During an inspection he found three secret drawers within the bureau, one containing the 22ct gold coin.

He said: 'I know bureaus like this often have tiny, secret drawers - sometimes called coin drawers - so I always check them just in case.

'But in 10 years of valuing furniture I have never found anything in them - until now.'

Mrs Clapp, 37, had no idea the coin was inside until she took the £60 chest to the auctioneers where it was discovered

Furniture valuer Edward Rycroft said that in ten years of inspecting historic items this was the first time he had found anything valuable in a hidden compartment

Mrs Clapp, a family support worker, said she was delighted when Mr Rycroft rang to tell her the news: 'As a family, we've had some bad luck in the last two years, so for something like this to happen to us is amazing.

'My daughter, Abi, 18, was recently registered as severely impaired. She has Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a genetic condition which affects vision as well as other parts of the body. I work for the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome UK charity and I'll be donating some proceeds from the sale to it.

'I would never have found that in a million years. We're so grateful to Edward. We recently blew all our savings on a car and its engine blew up shortly after we bought it, so any windfall is very welcome.'

Mr Rycroft said he knew straight away the coin was 'really special'.

'It's the most amazing thing I have ever found by chance. If you've got an old bureau at home do check for secret drawers - you never know, you may be sitting on a windfall too,' he added. 

 

photo link
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/rare-14th-century-gold-coin-worth-up-to-3000-is-found-hidden-inside-a-wooden-bureau/
News Photo Rare 14th century gold coin worth up to £3,000 is found hidden inside a wooden bureau
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