Royal coin collection stashed under bed worth up to $130,000

By Nathan Pynn

A 91-year-old grandma was stunned after discovering her treasured coin collection she kept under her bed could be worth $128,000.

Marie Everett quietly built up her commemorative collection from the late 1970s, picking up “the odd coin from time to time, mostly with a royal theme.”

But she had no idea the true treasure she was sitting on until her 103-coin collection was valued.

Her son Andrew said: “Mom is a huge royalist, so many of the coins relate to the late Queen or Princess Diana, while others mark commemorative themes such as the Gunpowder Plot or Remembrance Day.

“She thought the collection might be worth around $12,800, based on what she paid for it, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it could be worth 10 times that.”

The glittering hoard is expected to sell for $121,600 but could fetch far more when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers next week.

Hansons regional director Justin Matthews said: “Most of us keep old shoes under the bed, so imagine our surprise when we came across this veritable treasure chest.

“In terms of scale and value, you would expect to find pieces like this in the collection of an international coin collector, not under the bed of a nonagenarian.”

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Marie began buying gold coins in 1979 just as her husband started collecting first-day covers for their sons.

Andrew Everett added: “I really don’t know why she started collecting — maybe it was to have something of her own.

"Dad started getting first-day covers at the same time, and I know which collection is worth more today.”

Among the star lots are a 22-karat $2.50 and $6.40 gold proof coin marking the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II from 2016, expected to go for $3,800-$6,400.

A 22-karat $2.50 gold proof Princess Diana coin from 2017 could fetch $1,500-$1,800, while a Remembrance Day coin from the same year is estimated at $1,300-$1,500.

Andrew Everett said: “Mom saw that the price of gold is very strong at the moment and made the decision to sell.

“But she also discovered that coins like these, because they are legal tender, may be exempt from capital gains tax, which is an added bonus for the family.”

Any cash raised will go toward supporting the family and Marie’s grandchildren.

Her coin collection will be sold at Hansons saleroom in Penshurst, Kent, on June 24.