The man in question happened to stumble upon an ultra-rare Henry III penny said to show the first true portrait of an English king on his throne since the time of William the Conqueror.
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A very lucky find
There are only eight known coins in existence—most of them are currently being held in museums. The British history buff explains that he found the coin 15 minutes after having received a brand-new detector on farmland in Hemyock, Devon. He also said that the only real reason he went about this gold-finding excursion was at the request of his children, who are big history enthusiasts themselves. He said:
It is quite surreal really. I'm just a normal guy who lives in Devon with his family so this really is a life changing sum of money which will go towards their futures. But its not all about the money—for me its about the history.
And added:
I'm very passionate about British history. Its an honour to be connected to this find and I will remember this day for the rest of my life.
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What will he do with all that money?
Leigh-Mallory plans on investing in his children's future by putting in a large sum of his new earnings towards their education. After all, they are the reason he found the gold coin in the first place. He explains:
The money will be put towards my children's future who are both showing the same passion for our history as me. In fact, I really owe it to them for having found the coin in the first place, as they were my inspiration to go out prospecting.
Before adding:
Had it not been for a promise I made to my children to go out searching and being rewarded with an Elizabethan coin a few weeks before, I do not believe this gold coin would ever have been found.
