Many urban gold hunters, make finding gold in the most unlikely places their 'side hustle'. Many people sometimes come across genuine gold mixed in with costume jewellery in boot sales or online marketplaces. Some people make sourcing gold, and selling the gold for cash a full time or part time job. People have even found gold in their home, with gold coins worth hundreds of thousands of dollars found under floorboards, showing that home refurbishment can bring more value to your home than you’d ever guessed.
And it’s not only the places that haven’t been touched in decades that could hold untold riches. People don't always necessarily know how valuable their possessions can be. In fact, one of the rarest, oldest, and potentially most valuable pieces of gold to ever be found in Britain was found at a car boot sale, of all places. Higher purity gold can be easily mistaken as 'fake', due to its deep and rich yellow colour and obvious gold appearance. When this is placed in an environment like a car boot sale, people can automatically assume it can't be real.
Boot sales make a great choice for urban gold hunters as they usually happen weekly, and are place where people just want to offload their clutter. Car boot sales are often populated by inexperienced sellers, who may not be able to correctly identify what is genuine gold from costume jewellery. Some sellers may even be aware a piece is gold, but may just want to get rid of it quickly and cheaply. Look out for small items like earring backs, these can often be made of solid gold and are usually labelled as worthless by many. If you manage to accumulate alot of these, the scrap gold value can really add up!
In March 2016, a buyer at the Berinsfield Car Boot Sale (Oxfordshire) picked up a box of watch parts and later spotted a folded strip of yellow metal inside. It was identified as an Early Bronze Age gold strip and, on 17 April 2018, Oxford Coroner’s Court declared it Treasure because of its prehistoric age and precious-metal content. A comparable strip found near Winchester which is now in the British Museum’s collection, shows similar perforations and dates to the same period.
It's also been known for people to find vintage watches at car boot sales, if you know what you are looking for and do some research 'on the go' you can occasionally find valuable items.
While we’re looking in strange and seemingly unlikely places, check under the floorboards. That’s what a couple in North Yorkshire did while renovating their kitchen in 2019. They found a small earthenware cup, smaller than a soft drink can, with more than 260 gold coins dating from 1610 to 1727. The coins were valued at up to £265,000, making the renovation much bigger than just getting new kitchen tiles.
These coins were likely secreted away for safekeeping by the previous inhabitants of the home, who passed away before they could be retrieved. This is a common theme when finding valuable gold and silver.
Across the country, some homes have withstood the test of time and had inhabitants who were afraid of theft, potential invasion during wars, or were just being generally cautious. This led them to hide their valuables - gold and silver jewellery, religious iconography with gold or silver inlay, and other pieces of gold and silver that is now even more valuable - under floorboards, in walls, buried under the barn, and in other secretive places to keep it safe. Valuable precious metal items have also been found in back gardens. If you live in an area deep in history, hire a metal detector and give your garden a check over.
Checking in these kinds of places can unveil highly valuable pieces lost to time.
Finding valuable gold and silver you can sell is the hard part, so having so many different places to search for precious metal items is crucial. However, once you've found the gold or silver, you can sell it to a reputable gold buyer for quick cash. Having a professional gold dealer in your network who is always available to buy, and who can help you identify genuine gold pieces is essential.
Whether your looking to sell coins, sell unwanted jewellery, sell gold bars, or any other scrap gold or silver. Cheshire Gold Xchange is proud to offer some of the best rates in the North West for your gold and silver, ensuring you get your money’s worth. Get an estimated quote over the phone at 01925 387 107, or have a face-to-face valuation at Cheshire Gold Xchange store in Warrington.
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