In the 1950s, public transportation in the English city of Leeds functioned as that of any other large citywith tickets costing a few pence and collectors checking the change. One day, someone took out a strange coin to pay his ticket and the person responsible for collecting the ticket immediately noticed that it was not a legal British currency. And instead of throwing it away, he decided to keep it.
The story. What this cashier who kept the coin did not know, and what it would take his relative seven decades to discover, is that that bus ticket It had been paid with a relic from more than 2,000 years ago and of Spanish origin.
From a wooden box to the museum. The story of this peculiar discovery has recently come to light thanks to Leeds Museums and Galleriesnoting that for about 70 years, the coin was forgotten in a small wooden box. The important thing here is that, after the death of James Edwards, who was the one who collected this bus ticket, the piece passed into the hands of his grandson, Peter Edwards, who is now 77 years old.
Intrigued by the ancient and worn appearance of the object, Peter decided to investigate its provenance with the help of experts from the University of Leeds, and this is where it was discovered that it was not a piece of scrap metal, but a bronze coin from the 1st century BC.
Where it came from. Analysis of the coin revealed that it was not minted in the United Kingdom, but that its origin was thousands of miles away. Specifically in Gadir, present-day Cádiz, in one of the oldest and most prosperous Phoenician settlements in the West.
The design of the coin is a classic of Carthaginian and Phoenician-Punic influence in the Iberian Peninsula, with an obverse that shows the profile of Melqart, a deity of the Phoenicians and recognizable for wearing the mythical skin of the Nemean Lion. On its reverse, the coin shows two tunas, the indisputable symbol of the ancient Cádiz fishing industry, accompanied by inscriptions in the Phoenician alphabet.
How he came to England. There are many doubts that arise when we talk about a coin from the 1st century BC that ended up being a payment method at a bus station in England.
The main hypothesis used by the researchers is the result of the recent historical context, since it is believed that the coin was found in the Mediterranean region by a British soldier during or just after World War II. After taking it to the United Kingdom as a souvenir or amulet, the piece must have ended up mixed with everyday change. From there, it was exchanged as legal tender until it ended up in the box of a curious person who knew that this coin had something unique.
Your new home. After unraveling the mystery, Peter Edwards has decided to donate his grandfather’s piece to the local authorities and today, the Gadir coin is part of the Leeds Discovery Centre, an institution that houses thousands of historical coins. And, although it is not a great treasure, it is undoubtedly an artifact that perfectly shows the migrations of everyday objects thousands of years ago.
Images | Leeds Museums and Galleries
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