A lucky gardener is raking it in after digging up an ancient Greek coin while weeding – then later finding a rare Ming-style vase in his mother’s attic. The unnamed 25-year-old was clearing out his mum’s loft and came across what he thought was an old bronze vase.
It turned out his late father had bought the Ming-style antique years earlier and last month it sold for £1,450.
The seller is hoping to coin it in again after he found a silver tetradrachm from ancient Greece in his garden.
He said: “I had no idea if the vase was worth anything but put it on eBay.
“It immediately sparked a huge bid from China so I thought I better get it checked out by experts and contacted Hansons Auctioneers. I decided to take another find.
“I was turning over the turf and saw something glinting. I picked up an old silver coin, put it in my pocket and later stuck it in a drawer.”
Charles Hanson, star of TV’s Antiques Road Trip, said: “I was staggered. This would have been minted during the reign of Alexander the Great in 336-323 BC.”
It is set to fetch up to £300 at auction on March 8.
