Here in the states, we have a different view of antiquities than they do “across the pond.” For us, something 50 or 75 years old is “OLD.” If it’s over 100 years-old, it’s ancient.
That difference became clear when I visited Ireland. While there, I couldn’t resist scanning the local papers. The classified and real estate ads in Irish villages were particularly enlightening.
First, I noticed there were not sellers of firewood as we have. Instead, they advertised peat briquettes which the Irish burn in their stoves. More curious were descriptions of homes for sale. I can’t count the number of ads for “starter homes…perfect for a young couple or family.” That’s normal. What wasn’t normal was the age. Some of the advertised homes dated back to – I’m not making this up – the 1600s....
I can only imagine the possible structural or leakage problems found in a 300- or 400-year-old home. Then again, there’s the flip side. What good things might new owners find?
An answer to the latter came last year in a home built in the 1700s in Ellerby, England where the owners were redoing the kitchen. Not rebuilding. Just updating. When they removed some floorboards, they noticed an old metal cup. They pulled it out. Inside they found a literal fortune in gold coins – 266 to be exact.
According to a recent issue of The Numismatist, most of the coins dated from the 1600s and 1700s and were English or Scottish in origin. They were circulated coins. Their used condition suggested they were used in commerce. The question that arose was who now owned them?
Because so many treasures have been found there, England has strict rules about “finders/keepers.” According to the United Kingdom Treasure Act of 1996, if coins and/or treasure is known to have been buried less than 300 years ago, the finder can keep them. If older, the items must be turned over to the local coroner who will adjudicate who keeps how much of the treasure versus what goes to the government. In this case, the owners got to keep them.
I have no clue as to how much was paid for this house but it’s safe to say the owners need not worry about cost for the kitchen renovation. According to the auction firm Spink & Son who handled the sale, the coins sold for just a bit north of $920,000 including commissions.
Coincidentally, when the aforementioned house was being built in England, a fleet of Spanish ships transporting gold and silver from South America to Spain sank off the coast of Florida. Recently, treasure hunters fished a hoard of the lost coins from the sea floor.
The Floridian treasure hunters knew previous gold and silver coins, chains and jewelry had been recovered for decades off the same southeast shores. So, how much might be left? A lot. Perhaps with the recent large storms and gales, the shifting sands might give up more. It did.
In comparatively shallow waters of well less than 50-feet, the divers began to find coral encrusted coins and small artifacts. According to the divers and ship’s captain, the coins were surprisingly concentrated together. In all, 215 coins and small relics were recovered.
Because they have been on the ocean floor for over 300 years, organic material on them was enough to make some of the coins almost unrecognizable. A long and careful process of conservation of the coins is needed.
Here too, the government has become involved. The finders of the treasure must coordinate their discovery with a group known as “1715 Fleet Queen’s Jewels LLC” which is the “exclusive salvor” of any associated shipwrecks according to the US District Court.
Government interference aside, for anyone with a sense of awe, it’s one thing to read about history. It’s another to touch it. Here in the US, the Mayflower landed in 1620. Prior to that, Jamestown was founded in 1607. Those were English. The Spanish preceded them founding St. Augustine in Florida in 1565. No original structures or entities are left at any of those sites. Well, maybe one.
In the middle of St. Augustine stands an oak tree called “Old Senator.” It’s over 600 years old and was growing in the 1420s, well before Columbus or others even dreamed about the “new world.” It’s still alive and growing today. There’s no way to put a value on something that precious.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.