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He thought it was an old jar lid, but an Upper Hutt man has uncovered a rare English medal.
Kevin Homan was working with his father on the foundations of their garage in Upper Hutt when he discovered the historic Temple Bar Medal.
"At first I thought it was an old jar lid," Mr Homan told The Dominion Post.
But after washing the dirt-covered medal with a hose, he saw that around the edges the words that in 1672 the Temple Bar was erected and then removed in 1878.
The find was seen listed on a website by the Museum of London and a representative will collect the battered medal on Sunday.
It will feature in a three-month exhibition before being returned to the family.
Mr Homan was told that only one other of the historic medals was known to exist valued at £500 ($1270).
Mr Homan's father, Stewart, said he thought the medal may have ended up in the backyard of their house because his father had received inheritance from two wealthy London aunts.
The Temple Bar Medal is from a collection called the City of London Medals, struck by the Corporation of the City of London.
- NZPA
