Eketāhuna resident’s mystery find

The mystery coin found amongst Cheryl Banks' possessions. She has no idea how she came to have it, or who it might have belonged to.

When an Eketāhuna resident found a coin among her possessions, she had no idea what it was.

The coin, inscribed Success to New Zealand Contingent, was among other coins found when Cheryl Banks was going through them one day.

The inscription was difficult to make out, but when she saw the date, 1899-1900, she wondered if it could have been from the Second Boer War.

The side with Queen Victoria.

On the other side, Queen Victoria is pictured with the inscription “British Transvaal War”.

But there is nothing to tell her who it might have belonged to and it’s a mystery she may never solve.

Cheryl, who recently found a 300-year-old document down behind couch cushions, is now wanting to remind others not to just throw things away, especially when they’re going through old family keepsakes.

“Start looking at things before you throw them out,” she says.

You never know what treasures you could unearth.