Forgotten gold coins bought in 1975 sell for £113,000 after widow finds them in shed

A metal biscuit tin that had been forgotten in a garden shed near Penzance, Cornwall, has sold for £113,000 at auction. The tin contained 62 gold coins that had been collected and stored away around 50 years ago. The unexpected discovery happened when a widow began clearing out the buildings belonging to her late husband.

She took the dusty tin to Lay’s Auctioneers to find out what was inside.Uncovering a hidden fortune in PenzanceThe shed clearance seemed like an ordinary task until the tin was brought to staff at Lay's Auctioneers in Cornwall. At first, the container appeared to hold everyday household items, along with a few loose silver coins on top. However, when auction experts looked more closely, they found dozens of gold coins hidden beneath the other items.

Many of them were still inside their original mint packaging.The collection included 41 South African Krugerrand gold coins and 21 British gold sovereigns. Speaking to The Independent, a representative from the auction house described the surprise of finding the coins.