A couple renovating their 17th-century cottage in Dorset have discovered a hoard of 400-year-old coins worth £60,000 hidden beneath the kitchen floor. Robert and Becky Fooks were digging out concrete to increase ceiling height when Robert unearthed a smashed pottery bowl filled with gold and silver coins.
The hoard, consisting of 1,029 coins including rare King James I and King Charles I examples, is believed to have been buried between 1642 and 1644 during the English Civil War. The couple reported the find to the local finds liaison officer, and the coins were sent to the British Museum for identification before being sold at auction.
Duke's Auctioneers of Dorchester sold the collection for a hammer price of £60,000, with fees bringing the total to £78,000—more than double the pre-sale estimate of £35,000. The most valuable coin, a 1635 King Charles I gold crown, fetched £5,000, while a Charles I silver shilling sold for £3,200 and a James I gold laurel coin for £2,700.
Becky Fooks, a 43-year-old NHS health visitor, said: 'The auction was brilliant, a very exciting experience and a bit of a whirlwind. We are delighted with the outcome.' She added that the money would be used to pay off debts and for a few treats, as building work on the house continues.
The couple bought the cottage in 2019 and began renovations, finding the coins in October of that year. The identification process took several years. Becky said: 'If we hadn't lowered the floor they would still be hidden there. It is amazing and fascinating.'
