Scots engineer finds 700-year-old coin in his back garden

Craig Smith, 34, was fixing a fence in his back garden of his home in Linlithgow, West Lothian, during the summer when he discovered the extremely rare item.

A SCOTS council engineer was left gobsmacked after finding a 700-year-old coin at the bottom of his garden.

Craig Smith, 34, made the extremely rare discovery while fixing a fence in his back garden of his home in Linlithgow, West Lothian.

He was stunned when he spotted the historic penny and immediately rushed to tell his wife Emma.

The dad-of-two had no idea of the rare treasure he had unearthed literally in his own backyard.

But he has since learned the coin is centuries old and only one of THREE ever found in Scotland.

He handed it to Treasure Trove Scotland, who collects historical pieces unearthed by everyday punters.

And they told him it is William of Guelders gulden gold coin from year 1379.

Craig told The Scottish Sun: “I really couldn't quite believe it. I quickly ran in and told my wife what I had found.

I really couldn't quite believe it... We had found a little piece of history

“She is always on my case about the things I’m finding but when we realised what it was she was quite excited too.

“We had found a little piece of history.”

The golden coin was handed over to Treasure Trove Scotland and is currently being held to be valued.

But the 14th-century artefact could fetch a pretty penny.

Craig said an early guess has revealed the coin could be worth £1,500.

He said: “There is a bit of damage to it, obviously because of its age, but because it's so rare it could make quite a bit if a collector was interested.”

The Dutch treasure is quite the find for Craig, who is often out with his metal detector seeing what he can find.

Metal detecting is a bit of a hobby for me but I’ve never had luck like this!

But until now, this has been his most valuable find.

He added: “Metal detecting is a bit of a hobby for me but I’ve never had luck like this!

“I’ve found some silver coins and a lot of old musket balls.

“But if I’m being realistic, about 99 per cent of what I find are old tin cans.”

The treasure is currently with the Treasure Trove Unit and if deemed worthwhile, will be passed on to the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel who will determine how much it is worth.

Museums across Scotland will then be able to pay for the item, which is handed to the finder.