Debate erupts over 80-year-old coin found behind owner’s fireplace

A homeowner in the US has sparked debate online after discovering old currency inside their property.

The five cent coin, dated 1943, was found behind the mantle of their fireplace.

“I was wondering if this could have been placed there by the builder to date the year the house was built,” the owner wrote in a post to the Old House Finding Facebook page.

It’s a long-held tradition for builders to leave a coin to mark the year the home was built.

Many agreed with the owner’s claim that it was left deliberately.

“I was a plumber and we always put something in the walls. Behind the tub, that was the big hide and I’m sure the other tradesmen did the same,” one person wrote.

“When I was a contractor I would do things like leave something. Often my name and date along with others who worked on the job where it could only be found by someone remodelling in the future,” a second person wrote.

“Whenever I do remodelling, or addition, especially on older homes, I tack my business card, date, a coin or $1.00 bill in a baggie and nail it onto a stud. Been doing that since 1972,” a third person wrote.

Yet another person shared: “When I built my first house … I put a quarter underneath the first cement block of the foundation …an old gentleman told me that … He says this way there’s always money in the house.”

Meanwhile, some suggested the coin was left by accident and had no link to the home. 

“This nickel is dated 1943 and it shows a lot of wear so it would have been deposited there a very long time after 1943,” one person wrote.

“This nickel is too worn to be put in the wall when it was new. It would be pristine if it were placed there when the house and nickel were new,” a second person added.

“If it was the year the house was built, it would be a relatively uncirculated coin, this particular nickel looks quite worn, possibly decades before placement,” yet another shared.

It’s not the first time an unexpected discovery has been made at someone’s home.

Last month a plasterer in the UK unearthed the historic origins of a home while on a routine call-out.

The tradie was at a rental property in the Peak District in central-northern England when he made the surprising discovery.

The tenant was at home at the time of the call-out and documented the find.

“I feel like we got the mother load today,” they wrote in a post to the Old House Explorer Facebook page, accompanied by a series of photos.

“The marks are where they scored the original finish to help the new lime plaster stick when the extension was built 200 years ago. I’ve put in a request to the landlord to keep the wall like this.”