The collection, dubbed “The New Forest Hoard”, was discovered at a home near Milford on Sea, Hampshire, in April 2020. The family initially found 63 gold coins and one silver coin in a clump of soil. A subsequent archaeological excavation of the garden uncovered a further six gold coins, BBC reports.

The hoard was taken to the British Museum to be studied and was officially declared treasure in October 2021. The coins span nearly a century, with the earliest struck during the reign of Henry VI in the 1420s and the latest dating from 1536-37, during the reign of Henry VIII. The collection is thought to have been buried in the 1530s.

When no museum was in a position to acquire the hoard during the lockdown, the coins were returned to the family, granting them permission to sell.

The coins were sold by auctioneer David Guest in Zurich on 5 November. They significantly outperformed their pre-sale estimate of £230,000, achieving a total hammer price of 403,100 Swiss Francs. Mr Guest described the coins as “stunning” and said the family was “over the moon and in a state of elation and amazement” at the result, which attracted bidders from all over the world.