Mysterious ancient coin handed to Leeds Museums - after being used to pay bus fare
The 2,000 year old coin was handed to a bus driver in the 1950s
A rare coin once used to pay a bus fare in Leeds has been revealed to have origins dating back more than 2,000 years.
It's now been donated to Leeds Museums, to be held alongside a collection of historic coins from across the world.
It was discovered when James Edwards, a former chief cashier with Leeds City Transport, spotted it among fares collected from bus and tram drivers in the 1950s.
James, who had a habit of plucking out and collecting foreign coins, gifted it to his young grandson, Peter Edwards.
The coin spent 70 years in a wooden box before Peter decided to pull it out and research its origins.
It turns out the mysterious currency was minted by the ancient Carthaginians in what is now the Spanish city of Cadiz during the 1st century BC.
The Carthaginians colonised much of what is now the Western Mediterranean and existed alongside and were eventually conquered by the Romans.
It's unknown how the coin came to be in the pocket of a bus passenger in 1950s Leeds.
Peter, now 77, said: “Neither of us were coin collectors but we were fascinated by their origin and imagery – to me they were treasure.”
The coin features the face of the god Melqart, resembling the Greek hero Herakles with a lionskin headdress.
Phoenician coins at that time often included Greek imagery to appeal to traders.
Upon realizing its historical value, Peter donated the coin to Leeds Museums and Galleries.
“My first thought when I found out its origin was that I would like to return it to an institute where it could be studied by all, and Leeds Museums and Galleries kindly offered to give it a good home" he said.