THE owner of a hoard of rare 400-year-old coins has described finding out they were worth over £50,000 as a real life “Fools and Horses” moment.

The 59 gold ‘Unites’, which were minted after James VI of Scotland became the first Stuart king of England in 1603, were found in Chipping Norton.

The exact location is being kept secret, but a builder uncovered a hidden cellar when he was digging and discovered the hidden treasure.

Unaware of their worth, he gave them to his 10-year-old grandson, a keen stamp, marble and seashell collector, who tucked them away in his shoebox for years.

Now 39, the grandson, who does not wish to be named, took the coins to a valuation day in Cheltenham.

He was told of their worth by coin specialist James Morton from auctioneers Morton and Eden, who reported the coins to the British Museum as potential treasure trove.

The owner said: “We took them along to the valuation day hoping they might pay for a honeymoon in Spain.

“When we learned they were gold and worth so much, we thought about having a honeymoon in Mexico. I was absolutely gobsmacked.

“You could say it was a real Fools and Horses moment.”

Coin expert Dave Ruskin, of Ruskin Coins, in Chipping Norton, said the hoard was a most unusual and rare find.

He added: “The coins will probably have belonged to an extremely wealthy merchant.

“I assume he would have secreted the hoard in his home and for some reason was never able to get back to it.”