'Old jar lid' was rare medal

CRAIG SIMCOX/Dominion Post

RARE FIND: This rare English medal uncovered by Kevin Homan in the backyard of his family's Upper Hutt home will soon be on its way to the Museum of London.

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A rare English medal uncovered in the backyard of an Upper Hutt house will soon be on its way to the Museum of London.

Kevin Homan discovered the dirt-encrusted Temple Bar Medal while working with his father on foundations for the family's garage.

"At first I thought it was an old jar lid, then I washed it off with a hose. Around the edges it said that in 1672 the Temple Bar was erected and then removed in 1878."

The one-kilogram medal was made in 1878 from the lead roof of Temple Bar, which historically marked the western boundary of the City of London.

The gateway, made of Portland stone and dating from 1672, was reputedly designed by Sir Christopher Wren, architect of nearby St Paul's Cathedral.

Only one other of the historic medals is known to exist, a mint example with an original glass-covered face valued at 500 (NZ$1247).

The Homans listed their find on a website that was seen by a representative from the Museum of London, who will visit the family on Sunday to collect their battered medal.

It will feature in a three-month exhibition, London Far and Away, before being returned.

It is unknown how the buried treasure ended up in Upper Hutt, but Kevin Homan's father, Stewart, has a theory.

"My father bought this house [in 1952] after receiving an inheritance from two quite wealthy aunts who lived in London. He might have been given it and then buried it with other rubbish."

It is over a year since the surprising discovery was made, and Mr Homan said his family had grown used to owning the hefty medallion, which has a diameter of 10.5cm.

"It is just a fancy paperweight now."

The Temple Bar Medal is from a collection called the City of London Medals, struck by the Corporation of the City of London.

The gongs celebrated the accomplishment of the city's most notable public works, or commemorated events of national or civic importance.

Most in the series had runs of up to 450, but a notable exception is the Temple Bar Medal, considered extremely rare by experts.

In 2003 the City of London spent more than 3 million to restore the Temple Bar archway and move it to a site near St Paul's Cathedral.

- © Fairfax NZ News