An amateur treasure hunter discovered a rare silver threepenny dated to 1652 in a field in Nottinghamshire, UK.
The treasure hunter, John Stoner, had just begun sweeping the area with his metal detector when it signaled. With a little digging, he found the coin, originally thinking it was nothing special. Little did he know that “nothing special” could make him more than $1 million.
A coin expert confirmed that the threepenny – still in amazing condition – is genuine, and was struck in Boston, Massachusetts. It was made by placing a blank silver disc between two engraved dies, then being struck with a hammer. One side features Roman numeral III (its denomination) and the date 1652, although it could have been minted any time between 1653 and 1682 because of the oak tree shown on the reverse.
It is thought that the coin traveled from America to the UK through transatlantic trading in the 17th century. It will be sold at auction in London early December — Stoner says he will split the earnings with the farmer who owns the land on which the coin was found.
Courtesy of The Daily Mail