UK Gold hoard found whilst weeding the garden

Jordan Farrell, "RICH FIND. Couple find £230k of English treasure while weeding their garden" the Sun 25 Sep 2025 

A Hampshire couple made a remarkable discovery in clumps of clay soil while weeding their back garden in 2020, a hoard of seventy gold Tudor coins. The earliest of these coins dates from the reign of King Henry VI in the 1420s, while many others originate from the 1530s, during the rule of Henry VIII. The discovery was made in Milford-on-Sea, not far from the historic Christchurch Priory, and experts speculate that the hoard may have been buried for safekeeping by a wealthy church cleric at the time of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. The discovery is an interesting reminder how finding of archaeological traces of the past goes on, regardless of circumstances. It is notable that these finders found it weeding their own garden in 2020 when the first Covid lockdown was in force banning metal detecting on external properties.

The couple, who have chosen to remain anonymous to avoid attracting treasure hunters to their quiet suburban street, reported their find to the authorities in 2020. Although the coins were initially declared treasure, they were later disclaimed and returned to the couple after no museums or institutions were able to afford to acquire them during the Covid pandemic. Now, the hoard is set to be auctioned in Zurich, Switzerland, this November, where it is expected to fetch around £230,000.