Man Loses Keys, Finds Rare Medieval Coins During Search
A Welsh farmer who lost his keys found 14 medieval coins that date back almost 600 years whilst searching for them.
Ifor Edwards was working on his farm, which is called Oak Farm and is located in Bronington, back in June 2012, when he dropped his keys on his property and couldn’t find them.
To help him in his search for them, the 56-year-old hired various metal-detectors and several people to use them. Finally, Cliff Massey found the keys, alongside several medieval coins, both of which had been through a lawnmower.
Edwards told the Shropshire Star, “We only bought the land three years ago and nothing like this has ever been found before.”
83-year-old Massey revealed that Edwards hadn’t ploughed the field for several years. After Edwards worked on the field, Massey was able to locate around about 14 coins, each of which either featured the face of Henry VI, Henry V, and Edward III.
Edwards added, “It is a once in a lifetime thing. It is such a shock, you just can’t quite believe it. You realise those coins were there before they ever found America or anything. You just can’t believe you’re holding something that is 600 and something years old.”
Wrexham County Borough Museum have registered an interest in purchasing the coins, which are worth around $700 and $800, and the money would then be split between Edwards and Massey.
Beth Weingast, discussed the coins complexion, stating, “It’s likely made with very thin sheets of silver and very bendable—it’s as thick as a sheet of thin, pliable metal.”
She then added, “Back then, many people bent and clipped the lettering off the coins and sold them at higher prices—the fact that this coin is unclipped means it may have been buried right after it was minted. Even if you saw this coin in a museum, it likely would have been clipped.”
