A 25-year-old British man has found an Ancient Greek coin depicting Alexander the Great and Zeus when doing some housework in his mother's attic. There, he also found a rare Ming-style vase.
According to British media, the man was weeding the lawn when he discovered the coin glinting in the sunshine two years ago. However, he kept the coin in a drawer and only remembered it was there after clearing out the attic.
He was tidying up ahead of a house move when he came across what appeared to be an old bronze vase.
His late dad had bought the Ming-style antique years earlier and last month it sold for £1,450 at auction – more than twice the guide price of £500 to £700.
The green-fingered seller, who has not been named, is looking to cash in again after finding out the coin’s value.
Charles Hanson, star of TV show Antiques Road Trip, said: ‘I was staggered. This large silver coin originated from Ancient Greece.
‘It’s known as a tetradrachm and this example would have been minted during the reign of Alexander the Great in circa 336-323 BC.
‘The tetradrachm was nominally equivalent to four drachmae.
‘Over time it effectively became the standard coin of the antiquity, spreading well beyond the borders of the Greek World.
‘Due to their often high artistic level tetradrachms are keenly collected today, and well-preserved or rare specimens can achieve strong prices.
‘The coin found by our client depicts Alexander the Great and the guise of Hercules while the reverse shows Zeus seated.
‘In its day this coin could have brought luxuries such as jewellery, horses or weapons. It was worth four times a man’s daily wage.’
The coin is expected to fetch between £200-£300 when it goes under the hammer on March 8.
‘Our client’s father left his family a rather wonderful gift,’ Charles said.
‘It was an impressive result for a forgotten attic treasure.’
READ MORE: Sweden returns the seal cylinder of Asini to Greece.
