This couple found £300k treasure while renovating their kitchen (PHOTO)

While the UK was in mourning over the death of Elizabeth II, and a national mourning period had been declared, one British family was overjoyed at the discovery of several gold coins under their kitchen floor. Their value has been estimated by an auction house, and the sum is astronomical.

Several hundred gold coins discovered

The discovery was made in Ellerby, North Yorkshire. According to Arkeonews, the couple, who own a house dating back to the 18th century, simply wanted to redo their kitchen, so they broke up the floor in order to replace it. They then discovered what they thought was a simple electrical cable... except that it turned out to be a treasure, encased in an earthenware vessel.

Inside were over 260 gold coins, just waiting to be discovered and appraised. And that's exactly what the couple did. And it's safe to say that they'll be able to afford a more luxurious kitchen than expected.

Read more :Norwegian family finds centuries-old Viking treasure in their garden (PHOTOS)

The treasure was valued at £300,000

Inspected by a London auction house, the coins were valued at... £300,000! These are gold coins that were in circulation between the 17th and 18th centuries.

So what were they doing there? Why didn't the previous owners get them back when they sold the house? Auction house Spink & Son believe they have part of the answer. According to them, the treasure belonged to Joseph and Sarah Fernley-Maisters, two members of an influential merchant family. They state:

Joseph and Sarah were clearly suspicious of the newly created Bank of England, banknotes and even the gold coinage of their day (...) Why they never recovered the coins when they were very easy to find just below [the ground] is an even greater mystery.

Read more:This shipwreck contains a treasure estimated at £17 billion, but it is well hidden

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used :

• Gold coin hoard worth $300K found beneath kitchen floor in England - Live Science
• Gold coin hoard discovered in a cup beneath a North Yorkshire kitchen floor is being auctioned off - Arkeo News