A man searching for a lost wedding ring with a metal detector found more than he bargained for when he came across a number of gold coins worth more than £100,000.
Paul Raynard, 44, discovered the 84 coins, along with his friend Michael Gwynee, which date back to King Henry VII's reign in the UK, at Ballycastle in Co Antrim.
Paul, from Yorkshire, told Metro he jumped up and down and ran to Michael in tears: "It was an amazing feeling. It’s like checking your lottery numbers and realising you’ve hit the jackpot.
"I saw one or two coins at first but had no idea of the size of the hoard to begin with. I went to fetch Michael who was across the field so we could share the moment together. I was shaking, I still can’t believe it now."
He added:
We had just come back from a busy business trip to China and Michael said he knew of a nice little place we could go to in Ireland for us to take our detectors.
One of the coins is a rare Henry VII coin, with a value said to be of £5,000.
The coins are being valued at the Ulster Museum.
The value will be split between the two friends and the landowner, if they choose to sell them.
Picture: SWNS/ Metro Video
