Almost everyone dreams of finding treasure, like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Little Katie Harding certainly did! As a young girl, nothing interested Harding more than the study of history and its cultures. So, when she discovered an ancient coin while in the garden with her mother, the little girl could not believe it. All of a sudden, Harding was like one of the historians from her books!
For many years, Harding held on to the coin, treasuring it as a beloved keepsake. Then, one day, she found herself face-to-face with police officers who demanded to know where she had found the coin. Soon enough, Harding’s entire flipped upside down, all thanks to one 700-year-old coin…
Little Katie Harding
At 9-years-old, little Katie Harding was not like other children her age. While other children loved to play inside or go out, Harding loved learning about history. It became the girl’s dream to find an ancient treasure or archeological discovery. Then, one day while working with her mother in the garden, Harding’s wish came true! She found a coin buried in her backyard that certainly looked like a piece of ancient treasure.
As any child would, little Katie Harding kept the coin a secret from her parents, hiding it in her bedroom. After cleaning the coin and taking a better look at it, the young girl felt more sure than ever that her find had some historical importance. Little did Harding know, her dream would soon turn into a waking nightmare…
A Forgotten Treasure
Soon enough, Harding had developed a full-blown obsession with her secret, ancient coin. She would sit for hours on her bed, staring at the coin and wondering where it came from. She remained this way until the unthinkable happened: just a few months after finding her beloved coin, Harding’s mother suddenly and unexpectedly died. Losing a parent is never easy, but little Katie Harding was only 9-years-old. Heartbroken, she tossed her coin into a dresser and drawer, forgetting about it. Harding’s grief was simply too strong to care about the coin.
Years and years passed before Harding ever remembered the coin. When she rediscovered it as a young adult, it would change her life once again – but this time not for the better.
Rediscovering the Coin
For over ten years, Harding completely forgot about the coin. Eventually, she found a way to move on from her mother’s death and began to have a normal life once again. Although she occasionally struggled, like anyone in their child and teen years, Harding loved her life. Then, as she was packing up to move away for college, she found it: her long-lost ancient ring! It had remained forgotten at the bottom of her drawer for all those years.
After rediscovering her forgotten treasure, Harding decided to keep the coin near her always. Whenever she held on to it, she would remember the hours she spent helping her mom in the garden. Just seeing the coin, especially after a bad day, would fill the young woman with a warm feeling. Still, Harding could not help but wonder where the coin had come from…
The History Behind The Coin
When Harding had been a little girl, she had never actually figured out anything about the ancient coin. Instead, she would simply daydream about where it came from, as she did not have the resources to dig deeper. However, since losing the coin, the internet had become accessible to everyone. Now Harding could finally determine precisely where the coin came from!
A few weeks after rediscovering the coin, Harding decided she finally needed some answers. After all, it could be worth something! Moreover, it could have serious historical value. Unfortunately, Harding had no idea her curiosity would not lead her to riches. Instead, it would lead the young woman to some serious legal woes!
Time to Do Some Research
Confident in her decision, Harding started on her research. However, it did not go very smoothly at first! Despite looking hard online, the young woman could not find anything about the ancient coin she had discovered. So, next, she decided to take the coin to a museum. She hoped that the historians that worked there could shed some light on the history of the coin. Of course, when she arrived, they asked Harding how she came across the ancient coin. Completely unaware of the trouble that she had just landed herself in, she told them the tale of finding the coin in the garden.
In Harding’s mind, she was doing the right thing by telling the truth. She had no idea that by telling her story, she had unleashed an avalanche of trouble. It would have been much better to keep the coin a secret…
The Answers She Hoped For
When Harding arrived at the museum, the staff had directed her to an expert on ancient coins. After answering his questions on how she found the item and a short exception, the coin expert revealed some shocking news. As it turned out, the “coin” Harding had discovered that day in the garden was not a coin at all!
Instead, the coin expert informed Harding that she had discovered something far rarer. Understandably, Harding felt a little skeptical at first. After all, it certainly looked like a coin! If it wasn’t a coin, what on Earth was it? While she felt a little skeptical, Harding’s inner child would not let her leave. She needed to know what the item truly was!
What Was It?
As the ancient coin expert informed Kate Harding, she had not actually found a coin. Instead, she had discovered a piedfort while working for her mother. However, no one can blame Harding for thinking it was a coin. To the untrained eye, a piedfort and a coin look almost identical. Piedforts, a type of collectible coin made by mint officials, are differentiated by their unusual thickness. As the expert explained, only four antique piedforts had ever been found in the United Kingdom!
The revelation only plagued Harding with more questions. How did such a rare coin, solely made for the most important people, end up far away from a city in her mother’s garden? Believe it or not, the coin expert only had more good news to deliver to Harding. At least, it started off as good news.
The Startling Origin
As the historian explained, the piedfort Harding found had been minted in celebration of the ascension of King Charles IV to the throne of France. Since minters created it to celebrate a foreign king’s crowning, there is a high likelihood the piedfort was once owned by a local lord that attended the coronation. Talk about valuable!
For those who don’t remember high school history class, King Charles IV’s coronation took place in 1322. That means Harding’s piedfort was at least 700-years-old! Not only that, but due to its place in history, it held incredible archeological and sociological importance. However, the coin expert was not done with his shocking revelations. When he explained how much the piedfort might be worth, Harding’s jaw dropped…
The Worth of the Piedfort
Kate Harding could barely understand the museum expert when he told her that the piedfort she had discovered could fetch up to $3,000. Of course, as a college student, the young woman first thought about all the things she could do with all that cash. However, she did not think about it for very long. You see, Harding could not give up the memories of her time in the garden with her mother, they were priceless. So, Harding decided she would keep her treasure.
Any one of us could understand Harding wanting to hold onto her treasure. However, the coin expert had privately decided that the museum needed the coin in their collection. Multiple times that day he asked Harding to sell him the coin, but she declined. Unfortunately, the museum would not give up. The following weeks and months would soon become a waking nightmare for the young student…
Searching For More
Given its rarity, the piedfort Harding had found was worth far more than she had ever imagined. So, the museum desperately wanted it. In fact, they wanted a lot more than that! The museum also wanted to possibly start a dig on the Harding property. After all, if one piedfort had been there, who knew what else could be! The idea certainly had legs, but the young student would have none of it. Harding did not want the museum staff anywhere near her mother’s house.
Before she left the Ludlow Museum, the coin expert asked Harding one last time to reconsider. Once again, she declined. Hoping that she would, the expert also gave her the card of Anthony Sibcy, a coroner and freelance historian with whom the museum occasionally worked, telling her to also report the find to him.
Where Harding Went Wrong
After leaving Ludlow Museum, Harding thought about calling the coroner. In the end, though, she did not change her mind and decided not to talk to him at all. In her mind, Harding did not need to speak to him if she wasn’t planning on selling it! Unfortunately, as Harding would soon discover, this was not the case. In fact, she had unknowingly made a massive mistake. Had she reported the find, she might have been able to profit from the piedfort. Instead, she accidentally unleashed a mess of trouble!
Unbeknownst to Harding, the museum more than desired the ancient piedfort. They needed it. And, determined to get a hold of the item, the museum team felt more than ready to take things far over the line…
The Harassment Begins
Following her visit to Ludlow Museum, Katie Harding went back to her life as normal. For a while, at least. Soon, though, she began receiving letters every day in the mail, all from the museum. Each one demanded the same thing: sell them the piedfort so that they could protect it. In time, the letters began piling up as the front door, as Harding just kicked them aside. Incredibly, the museum had more tricks up their sleeve!
As the letters continued, the museum began calling Harding, weekly at first, but then daily. Meanwhile, the museum had also contacted Anthony Sibcy, who also started hounding the young student. It did not matter how many times Harding told them “no,” they continued contacting her! She just wanted to be left alone. But the museum had no intention of letting up…
An Unpleasant Visit
One day, Kate Harding was simply minding her own business when there was a knock at the door. She opened the door to the faces of two police officers, staring at her with stern looks on their faces. In sober voices, they told Harding that she had been summoned to appear in court. Quickly scanning the summons, it seemed to have something to do with the piedfort. How had something she had simply discovered in her mother’s garden caused her so much trouble, Harding wondered.
Many might think that Harding should keep the coin, as she found it. However, the Ludlow Museum and Anthony Sibcy had something else in mind. Even worse, they had decided to attack the young girl with the flimsiest legal argument that they could, The Treasure Act of 1996.
The Treasure Act of 1996
The Treasure Act, passed in the U.K. in 1996, serves to legally define treasure and also requires anyone who finds treasure to report it. As you might expect, the lawmakers passed the laws in hopes of keeping track and taking care of important historical artifacts. Sadly, these relics often end up on the black market, never to be studied or seen by the public.
As is often the case with laws, the Treasure Act is incredibly specific about what qualifies as treasure. According to the law, any object over 300 years old and containing more than ten percent of any precious metal, is officially treasure. While coins are exempt from the Treasure Act, the museum and Sibcy pointed out that Harding had a piedfort, not a coin. Looking at the summons and the Treasure Act, Harding’s heart broke. Thankfully, she would not need to face them alone!
Hiring a Good Lawyer
The Treasure Act was never meant to punish people like Harding. So, when Brendan Reedy, a local lawyer, heard of the young student’s problem, he decided to help her. The lawyer was ready to fight for Harding, confident he could ensure that she went unpunished for something that held such special meaning to her.
Unlike the museum staff, coroner, and police, Reedy felt sympathy for Harding and listened to everything she had to say. Even better, he was honest with her! He explained that it would be an uphill battle – but he felt ready. So was Harding. She had no desire to part with the memories of her mother, and vowed to fight the case as much as she could.
Failing to Report It
Sadly, as Kate Harding and her lawyer researched the Treasure Act before her court date, her predicament went from bad to worse. According to the law, all treasure found needed to be reported to a coroner or other official within 14 days. While no one would ever expect a child to call a coroner, the law was clear.
Still, Brendan Reedy said there were a few reasons to remain hopeful. Based on his reading of the law, it seemed to only apply to those actively searching for treasures. Harding had just been helping her mother, not looking for treasure! Plus, she hadn’t known the law! They could only hope the jury would see it her way. But it was hard to stay hopeful when the museum, and now the British police and government, made Harding feel like a criminal! Soon enough, it was their turn in court…
A Fatal Mistake
At first, the trial started off pretty well. Then, unfortunately, Harding made a massive mistake while on the stand. You see, she admitted that she did not report the find to the coroner’s office after learning of the law. What’s more, Harding stated that after her museum visit, she did not report the treasure because the government would force her to surrender the piedfort. And, under the Treasure Act, the finder must sell the treasure to the coroner at market value.
All hope seemed lost for Harding. What had started off as an innocent secret treasure, had not become a living nightmare for the student. Harding sat in agony as the jury left to deliberate her fate. Then, in no time at all, they returned!
What Harding Did Wrong
There’s no denying that Kate Harding broke the law. However, she and her lawyer hoped the jury would find mercy. She had not even known about the Treasure Act until very recently, and certainly not at nine. Plus, the piedfort had sentimental value to her. Harding had no desire to sell it on the black market! Even though she did break the law, it’s difficult not to feel bad for her.
Sadly, the jury did not agree. As Harding failed to report the piedfort to the coroner within 14 days of finding it, they convicted her of breaking the law. Incredibly, she’s the first person ever found guilty of violating the Treasure Act. Even worse, the jury took less than an hour to come to a unanimous guilty verdict. Now, Harding faced up to three months in jail for her “crime!” However, the judge had something else in mind…
Running Out of Options
After the jury delivered their decision, Harding felt heartbroken. Now, she faced much more than merely losing the piedfort which meant so much to her. Thanks to the guilty verdict, Harding faced up to three months in jail as well as hefty legal fees from the court.
Thankfully, the judge realized that seemed extreme, given the crime. So, instead, he showed mercy. He gave Harding the option of merely surrendering her piedfort to the court. Instead of three months in jail and massive legal fees, she would walk out the courtroom a free woman and pay only $30. While it shattered her world, the young student knew what she needed to do. With a heavy heart, Harding gave her ancient treasure up for her freedom.
The Public Outrage
During and after the trial, many people spoke out against the court. People seemed concerned with several aspects of the trial, with many believing that the case should be overturned and thrown out. After all, Harding shouldn’t have a criminal record for something that she found when she was a child. As the trial advanced, more and more people began to speak out against it and to raise additional concerns.
Support from the public continued to flow in for Kate Harding. People all over the UK shared the same sentiment as Harding, they would not have replied to the threatening letters from the museum either. In the end, the museum did not really have any claim to Harding’s piedfort, though that didn’t stop them.
Questioning Timing
Another aspect of the trial that was brought into question was of course the timing of events. You see, Harding had found the coin in the summer of 1996, while the Treasure Act was passed in December of 1996. So, it was not yet a law when she first found it. This fact alone would prevent her from even going to trial, but the court seemed to be rigged against her from the very start.
Even if the law had been in effect when she found the piedfort, Harding should not have been convicted. She was only a child at the time. According to British law in 1996, the law that should have applied in the trial, anyone under the age of 15 at the time a crime was committed was to be tried as a minor. Also, the trial could have only taken place in the police proved the minor had knowledge of the law that they broke!
Feeling Distraught
Kate Harding was naturally upset at losing her court case and having to give up the treasure she found so many years ago. After all, she didn’t want to give up the coin, but the court had ordered her to. The only other option would be to serve time in jail, and she would still lose her precious coin. Meanwhile, the museum and coroner were no doubt ecstatic after winning the court case.
For everyone involved in the case, it was clearly rigged from the start to favor the museum. Sadly, Harding did not have the resources to appeal to this decision. She was just happy not to serve any time in jail. What’s more, she also dodged the expensive legal fees that could have made her student life even more difficult.
The Museum Will Never Get Her Treasure
While the museum and coroner were still celebrating their “victory,” it all quickly fell apart. You see, they had no idea that the museum will never get the piedfort that they ad tarnished the reputation of the museum for and gone through so much trouble to coerce from Harding. During the chaos of the trial, Harding forgot to mention one important detail.
You see, Harding says that she lost the piedfort after having it inspected at the museum. Since she’s no longer in possession of it, there’s nothing that the museum could do to get it. We wonder if Harding really lost the piedfort or simply chose to hide it again. We certainly hope she has it hidden away somewhere and plans to keep it! If not, we hope the museum staff appreciates the karma of their actions!
Case Dropped
Harding’s lawyer decided to appeal, saying the coin, which was found in her garden, was given before the 1996 Treasure act she was prosecuted under came into force. As a result, the Crown Prosecution Service has decided to drop the case. “This case was an unusual one and one which required careful re-consideration,” said Marguerite Elcock, District Crown Prosecutor for Shropshire and Herefordshire Magistrates’ Courts team. “Ms Harding has now handed the object she found to the local Coroner who will now complete a treasure inquest. We took the view that having considered all of the circumstances of this case it was no longer appropriate to proceed with a prosecution against Ms Harding.”
Believe it or not, Kate Harding is not the only person to find treasure on their property…
Seemingly Ordinary
Nearly two decades after his grandparents’ passing, one Reddit user, known only by his user name EvilEnglish, found out he had inherited their abandoned Tennessee farmhouse. Soon enough, you’ll discover why the user decided to keep his name confidential!
In order to sell the property, EvilEnglish needed to clear out the farmhouse. While cleaning out the old house, he expected he might find a few souvenirs from the carefree days he spent there as a child. EvilEnglish had no idea he would soon discover that his beloved grandparents had been hiding a massive secret from the entire family…
A Farmhouse in Tennessee
Reddit user EvilEnglish uploaded his incredible tale of hidden secrets in late 2017. He started by recalling the many pleasant holidays and summer afternoons he spent at his grandparents’ farmhouse in Tennessee when he was a child.
Initially, the building and surrounding land had been a working farm. In fact, the house is so old that the exact date of construction is unknown! However, by the time EvilEnglish’s grandparents purchased the house, shortly after their marriage, various owners had sold off the farmland. After buying the home, his grandparents lived in it fulltime and worked hard to transform it into a welcoming home.
Escaping The Summer Heat of The South
After their wedding, EvilEnglish’s grandparents moved into the home from an apartment in the deep South. “The house was a home for my grandparents for some 20-odd years,” he wrote. “They bought this house in the late 70s or early 80s to escape the oppressive summer heat of the South.” Even though EvilEnglish didn’t specify where his grandparents moved from, its no doubt that Tennesse does enjoy much nicer summers than the long, hard summers of the deep South.
After turning their little farmhouse into a beautiful home, EvilEnglish’s grandparents decided to start raising a family. To them, this small farmhouse seemed like the perfect place to spend forever. It also became the ideal place for the grandparents to keep secrets from their family…
A Fresh Start
Before long, EvilEnglish’s grandparents had children and became upstanding members of their little Tennessee community. They raised their family in the home and saw no reason to ever move away from the idyllic life they had created over the years. To their friends and family, the couple always seemed perfectly happy and normal.
In time, EvilEnglish’s grandparents’ children moved away and eventually had children of their own. Meanwhile, the couple grew old together in the farmhouse. As the family continued to grow, the farmhouse became the location for holiday get-togethers and summer vacations. Almost all of EvilEnglish’s cherished memories revolve around the home. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever…
Nothing Lasts Forever
Sadly, in 2006, EvilEnglish’s grandparents passed away. In the days after their passing, the family had no idea what they would do without them. Still, even while grieving, they found comfort in knowing that the couple had led long, happy lives. Fortunately, both of his grandparents experienced easy, painless deaths.
After his grandmother’s funeral took place, the family knew that they needed to decide what to do with the Tennessee farmhouse. None of them wanted to leave their cherished family home cold and alone. The location that had once brought them all so much happiness now brought them sadness. However, EvilEnglish and his family didn’t know what to do with the farmhouse…
Letting Go of the Memories
Eventually, the family decided that none of the couple’s relatives would move into the house. While EvilEnglish’s father officially owned the house, neither he nor anyone else could move there, as they found it too painful. Still, they hoped one day someone from their family could live there. It sat empty until, just a few years later, EvilEnglish’s father also passed away. So the Tennessee farmhouse was passed down once again. However, this time, the Reddit user made a different choice.
“My father passed in 2009, and we’ve been working to close out his estate and traveled to the farmhouse to prepare it for sale,” EvilEnglish wrote. To prepare the farmhouse, EvilEnglish needed to clean it out thoroughly. He had no idea of the long-hidden secrets that the house contined inside its walls…