'Unusual' discovery as 150-year-old gold coin found in charity box at Edinburgh Airport
Proceeds from selling the £568 gold coin will all be donated to charity
Edinburgh Airport staff were stunned to discover a more than 150-year-old gold coin inside one of their charity collection boxes.
A valuation found that the 20 Franc coin, made out of 90 per cent pure gold, was worth around £568.
The 21mm coin dates back to 1859 and was minted during the reign of French emperor Napoleon III, who appears on one side of the coin. A laurel wreath is featured on the other side.
It was minted in Strasbourg the same year the Emperor led his country into the Second Italian War of Independence.
The proceeds from selling the item will be donated to one of the airport’s charity partners, for which thousands of pounds are raised each year from passengers’ spare change.
While the collection boxes found throughout the airports accept “any currency”, staff were still surprised by the discovery.
In a post on social media, the airport said: “While it's certainly one of the more unusual donations we've received, it's every contribution, large and small, that makes a difference.
“Since 2022, passengers and staff have donated around £80,000 through our collection boxes, helping to support our corporate charities, such as Change Mental Health, and their work in the community.
“Thank you to everyone who has dropped in their spare change over the years.”