An incredible gold mine of antiques found by a grieving family when they emptied a deceased relative’s modest home has sold for £111,000 at auction.
The incredible haul was stuffed into bin bags, hidden in suitcases and dumped in the garden shed at the unassuming property in Swindon, Wilts.
Relatives discovered the items after arriving to clear his cluttered home following his death in June.
A James II gold five guineas coin dated 1688 made £7,900 – well above its valuation of £2,000.
A Charles II gold five guineas coin dated 1668 made £4,600.
The top seller of the more than 150 antique pocket watches found in a suitcase was an 18-carat gold watch which made £1,800.
A dagger owned by a member of the Nazi Labour Service sold for £720, and an American Civil War bayonet dated 1862 sold for £620.
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Philip Allwood, of auctioneers Moore Allen & Innocent which sold the treasure trove in a marathon five-hour bidding war, said the sale was “exceptional”.
He said: “We were delighted to break the £100,000 total, and the £111,000 collection total is exceptional.
“When the family invited me to look at these antiques I was expecting a quantity of silver plate.
“I was amazed when I discovered all this high quality silver and gold. “Friday’s sale was rather hectic.”
Mr Allwood said the family had “no idea” of what was inside the man’s home.
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“The family just kept discovering more valuable items placed in bin bags or wrapped in paper all over the place. The house was in a real mess.
“In the drive there were a couple of beaten up cars and they contained bags of coins. The antiques were kept in meagre surroundings.
“It wasn’t a tidy, smart sort of place. Everything the man had went on these items. It is fair to say it was obsessive.”
Mr Allwood said the man had spent years trawling round antiques dealers and auction houses to find items for his vast collection.
He added: “I received a call from the man’s sister after she first looked inside the house.
She told me there was silver all over the place, in the cupboards, the dresser, in the loo.
“I turned up and was expecting it to be silver plate but she showed me six dustbin bags full of antiques.
“It was a real Aladdin’s Cave and a big shock to the family.
“There were about 150 pocket watches and a huge amount of high quality silver and gold.
“We returned and discovered more silver and all the Nazi daggers, bayonets and coins worth thousands and thousands of pounds.
“The family just kept discovering more valuable items placed in bin bags or wrapped in paper all over the place. The house was in a real mess.
“In the drive there were a couple of beaten up cars and they contained bags of coins. The antiques were kept in meagre surroundings.
“It wasn’t a tidy, smart sort of place. Everything the man had went on these items. It is fair to say it was obsessive.”
Mr Allwood said the man must have spent years trawling round antiques dealers and auction houses to find items for his vast collection.
