British Couple Find the New Forest Hoard of 70 Medieval Coins

Imagine tending your garden at home and suddenly uncovering a treasure buried for almost 500 years. That is precisely what happened to a British couple during the pandemic, in a story that sounds like an adventure film but is entirely true.

A garden afternoon becomes a historic discovery

In spring 2020, during the first lockdown, a couple living in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, in southern England, used their time at home to work on their garden. While repairing a fence beside a flower bed, they spotted small, thin discs lodged in the clay soil. After the couple’s teenage son washed them, the remarkable truth emerged: it was a cache of medieval gold coins.

The discovery ultimately comprised 69 gold coins and one silver coin. On the day, 63 gold coins and one silver coin were recovered. Archaeological excavations later carried out in the garden uncovered a further six gold coins. The British Museum recognised the find as official treasure in 2021, and the group became known as the New Forest Hoard.

• Number: 69 gold coins and one silver coin, discovered in a residential garden in England
• Period: The coins were struck between the 1420s and 1530, spanning the reigns of four monarchs, including Henry VI and Henry VIII
• Historical rarity: The collection features four kings, two queens and a cardinal, making it unique in British medieval numismatics
• Auction value: The coins sold for more than 403,000 Swiss francs, exceeding the original €270,000 estimate by over 50%
• Historical value: When they were buried, the coins were worth roughly £26, enough to purchase an entire rural property in the 16th century

Why would someone bury gold in a garden during the early modern period?

The most widely accepted expert theory is that the hoard was concealed around 1530, at an exceptionally unsettled time in England. Henry VIII was dissolving monasteries and churches across the country, a process that formed part of the English Protestant Reformation. Many people with possessions and wealth, particularly members of the clergy, may have buried their valuables to keep them safe amid the political and religious turmoil of the period.

It is worth noting that the collection covers more than a century of history: from the earliest coins, minted in the 1420s during the reign of Henry VI, to the latest pieces from the 1530s under Henry VIII. Whoever placed those gold coins in Hampshire soil was hiding a genuine fortune, equal in value to an entire rural estate. For an unknown reason, they never returned to retrieve it, leaving the secret beneath the ground for almost five centuries.

From excavation to a Zurich auction: the New Forest Hoard’s journey

Once its status had been confirmed by the British Museum, the New Forest Hoard underwent detailed cataloguing and archaeological assessment. Numismatic specialists, whose field examines historic coins and medals, studied the pieces. In November 2025, the collection was offered for sale at auction in Zurich, Switzerland, by coin dealer David Guest.

The auction that exceeded every expectation

Estimate: €270,000. Result: more than 400,000

The coins were sold in separate small lots, a strategy that increased competition among buyers from around the world and pushed up the final price. The initial estimate stood at approximately €270,000, yet the hammer price reached 403,100 Swiss francs, more than 50% above projections.

David Guest described the pieces as exceptional coins that generated worldwide interest. The couple who made the discovery were delighted by the outcome, which Guest characterised as a genuine stroke of luck arising from an ordinary day spent working in the garden.

What makes the group even more remarkable is the historical breadth of its coins. The collection represents four kings, two queens and a cardinal, an exceptionally rare combination in British medieval numismatics. This accounts for the interest from collectors worldwide and helps explain why the final price so greatly surpassed initial expectations.

Could finding treasure in England change someone’s life?

In England, the rules covering historic discoveries are very clear. Under the law, precious objects more than 300 years old that are found buried belong to the British Crown. The couple had to report the discovery and follow the legal procedure before any sale could take place. Official recognition by the British Museum was a vital stage in that process.

However, the outcome was favourable for the finders. Having met every legal requirement, the British couple were able to sell the medieval coins and retain the auction proceeds. In Brazil, the laws governing archaeological finds operate differently, but cases such as this show that following the correct legal process can secure both the preservation of history and a fair reward for those who make the discovery.

Britain’s fascination with buried treasure continues to grow

The New Forest Hoard is not an isolated case. In 2020, an amateur metal detectorist found the Great Baddow Hoard in a field in Essex: 933 Iron Age gold coins, the largest hoard of its type ever recorded in Britain. Experts believe the find may be connected to Julius Caesar’s military campaigns in Britain more than 2,000 years ago. Subsequent excavations brought the total to 935 coins, and Chelmsford Museum acquired the collection in May 2025. A major exhibition dedicated to the find is planned for July 2026.

Every new discovery renews curiosity about what may still lie beneath European soil, preserved for centuries by people who lived in worlds vastly different from ours, shaped by fears, wars and secrets that were never told.

Sometimes history is not found in books. Sometimes it lies a few centimetres beneath our feet, waiting for someone to decide to mend a garden fence during lockdown.

If this story surprised you, share it with someone else who enjoys uncovering the unexpected curiosities that rarely make the news.