In rural France, a surprising discovery of a large number of historical gold coins hidden in a household wall recently made waves in the collecting world. These coins were sold at an auction in Paris for over €3 million (approximately $3.48 million), far exceeding the original estimate, shocking collectors.
According to Beaussant Lefèvre and Associates, the auction house confirmed to CNN that this batch of gold coins was completely sold out in Paris this week, with the total transaction amount exceeding expectations.
The collection was accumulated by the late Paul Narce, who lived a simple life in a small village in southwestern France before his passing in 2024. Despite leading a modest life and rarely traveling far, Narce dedicated his life savings to coin collecting. Coin expert Thierry Parsy pointed out that “these coins are extremely rare both in quantity and rarity.”
Narce amassed over 1,000 coins spanning multiple centuries, including rare items from ancient and modern times. This collection includes ancient coins from the Macedonian Kingdom period from 336 BC to 323 BC, as well as a nearly complete series of gold coins from the reigns of King Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI.
Due to Narce having no direct descendants and seldom discussing this hobby, the whereabouts of the collection were unknown. It was not until a notary handling his estate entered his former residence that the secret hidden within the walls was uncovered.
In a warehouse wall of Narce’s old home hung a portrait. The notary discovered a sealed space behind the portrait containing detailed coin boxes and 10 sealed packages, each containing 172 pieces of 20 franc gold coins, equivalent to the value of a gold bar. Most of these gold coins are in good condition, with some having hardly circulated.
The rare collection was initially estimated at €2 million (about $2.43 million) but eventually sold for over €3 million.
In recent years, there have been multiple cases of discovering hidden treasure troves of coins in Europe. In 2021, a couple in Somerset, England, found hundreds of coins hidden beneath a farmhouse floor during renovations. However, individuals like Narce, who systematically collected and preserved coins in such completeness, are extremely rare.