An Edinburgh couple found a rare coin that is more than 200 years old while on a trip to a beach.
Dan Buchanan, 24, and Aaron McCormack, 25, were visiting Loch Tay on Saturday afternoon when they stumbled upon the rare find. The couple were only scanning the shores for stones to skim when Dan noticed the coin.
The coin appears to be an 1820 George III Silver Half Crown, which were issued between 1816 and 1820. The head of the coin features a portrait of George III, with an inscription around the edge reading: "GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA".
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On the reverse side there is a large shield divided into four quarters with a crown at the top. the inscription reads: "HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE", which approximately translates to: "Shame on anyone who thinks evil of it".
Speaking to the Daily Record, Dan said: "Me and my boyfriend were at the beach skimming stones in Kenmore—while I was searching I came across the coin in the sand. I thought it could have been a metal button or something of that nature.
"I showed it to my boyfriend to see what he thought it was and he then realised it was actually a coin. We originally thought it was Roman but noticed it said 1820 on it so we quickly googled and could see from the search that it was a UK George III shilling."
King George III died in 1820 at the age of 81 and the coin would have been issued during the final year of his life where a major overhaul of British coinage took place. The Royal Mint was moved from the Tower of London to Tower Hill and the introduction of new steam-powered coinage presses.
Dan continued: "After realising how old it was and that it was a legitimate coin we were so shocked and fascinated at the history behind it and the fact that I had even found it on a really pebbly beach with lots of driftwood from the storm a few days before, it felt like a one in a million find. It really set the tone for the rest of our trip, we were absolutely ecstatic.
"We plan to report it and hopefully get to keep it. We want to clean it up and have it as a keepsake forever as an amazing memory from our weekend in Loch Tay."
She posted their discovery on the Love Scotland Facebook group and the post has received more than 3,700 likes from fellow Facebook users. With over 170 comments, many were also keen to share their thoughts on the amazing find.
One wrote: "Enjoy the experience! Wow fascinating piece of history."
A second echoed: "Amazing find! Congratulations!"
"Wow, hang on to it," commented a third, while a fourth suggested: "Wow that’s really cool, clean it up and make a bezel for a necklace."
Meanwhile, another shared: "How fantastic is that! I would have been beside myself."
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