Hundreds of rare gold coins found inside the walls of a remote French palace have been auctioned for more than one million euros ($1.2 million), according to the British newspaper, The Guardian.
The treasure, which consists of 239 gold pieces, was found during maintenance work in 2019 in a palace in the province of Finistère, western France, according to the auction house "Yvoire Angers".
These gold coins date back to the reigns of the French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV.
The auction house indicated that a couple decided to restore a destroyed mansion that they bought in 2012, and to collect its three buildings in one building. During construction work, workers found a metal box filled with gold coins inside one of the walls.
The owner of the palace, Francois Millon, aged 63, said that the box was inside one of the walls and fixed with stones, explaining that the workers discovered a few days later another bag containing more gold coins, bringing the total to 239 pieces.
Among those coins, there was a piece from the year 1646, valued at about 15,000 euros, and one of the sellers in the auction house, Florian Duissonville, said that this coin was painted on a side panel of King Louis XIV, pointing out that it is very rare.
He noted that the component coins that were contained in a metal box may be the savings of a wealthy merchant or one of the former owners of the land.
