![]() “I can’t even remember meeting my Great Cousin but I received a letter from a solicitor before Christmas informing me that I’d been left various items of furniture.Apparently, the will was written when I was 13 years old.” She is also grateful to the distant cousin who left her the unexpected gift. We recently blew all our savings on a car and its engine blew up shortly after we bought it, so any windfall is very welcome.” “I would never have found that in a million years,” said Mrs Clapp. ![]() An identical secret drawer existed on the other side of the bureau. I work for the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome UK charity and I’ll be donating some proceeds from the sale to it.”Īmy and husband Gary, 53, who have six children between them, went along to Hansons to see the secret drawer – and the coin.īoth were amazed when Mr Rycroft pulled out a visible drawer to reveal another tiny drawer, no more than two or three inches long, tucked away behind it in a far corner of the unit. She has Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a genetic condition which effects vision as well as other parts of the body. “My daughter, Abi, 18, was recently registered as severely sight impaired. As a family, we’ve had some bad luck in the last two years, so for something like this to happen to us is amazing. I was working in London when Edward phoned me. Mrs Clapp, a family support worker who lives near Swadlincote in South Derbyshire, said: “I’m delighted. In more than half a century of coin valuing he has never seen one exactly like it. According to their coin valuer Don Collins, it’s very unusual. Its guide price is £1,200-£1,800 but the experts at Hansons think it could sell for as much as £3,000. The Raymond IV Prince of Orange Franc A Pied coin dates back to 1365. It turned out to be rare, more than 650 years old and highly valuable. Much to his amazement, he discovered a 22ct gold coin hidden in a secret drawer. He said: “I know bureaus like this often have tiny, secret drawers – sometimes called coin drawers – so I always check them just in case.But in 10 years of valuing furniture I have never found anything in them – until now.” She thought she’d checked all the nooks and crannies and was oblivious to the treasure within.īut three secret drawers existed in the bureau which Edward Rycroft, furniture valuer at Hansons, found when he came to value it. "He reckons now that we've fixed them up they're worth about $1,800," he told Steve and Maria.ĭespite the monetary value, the drawers are going back inside where they belong where Maria can appreciate the beautiful piece.A 14 th century French gold coin potentially worth thousands has been found by chance in a secret furniture drawer – much to the delight of its stunned owner.ĭerbyshire mum-of-three Amy Clapp, 37, had no idea the coin – or the secret drawer – existed after being randomly left a 20 th century bureau by a long-lost distant cousin.Īnd she would have missed out on her golden windfall but for Derbyshire’s Hansons Auctioneers, where she dispatched the bureau to sell after clearing it out. ![]() READ MORE: How Space Invaders creates lasting change for the families it helps on the show The drawers look stunning now that it's Kauri pine can be seen. Lucas had a friend give his expert opinion on the piece now that it is looking its best. Once restored the rare timber the drawers were made from could easily be seen and appreciated. Then Lucas applied beeswax for "a nice shine and a great rich colour". READ MORE: Jenna Densten shows how to restore an old table using oven cleaner Maria uses a paint scraper to remove the stain. He prefers this to sanding, which he thinks is messy and doesn't give as fine a finish as scraping.Īfter using a paint brush to thickly apply the stripper, Lucas and Maria scraped the stain off and used steel wool for the last remaining bits. To remove the stain on the wood he used paint stripper. To better suit the time period Lucas purchased brass drawer handle covers to cover up the marks left by the previous handles. READ MORE: Treasure hunter Lucas Callaghan finds $32,000 worth of heirlooms in family's clutter Lucas found new drawer handles to better suit the era the drawers came from. And they've replaced the handles with some that are quite simply from the wrong era," he explained. ![]() "Maria's drawers are around a hundred years old but they've been repaired since, and unfortunately a stain has been added which disguises the valuable timber they've been made from. ![]() Lucas started the restoration by removing the drawer handles before stripping the stain from the wood. "This is actually Kauri pine, which is northern Queensland, Papua New Guinea, there is some in New Zealand - it's very valuable." ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |