How did it end up there? The mystery of the Phoenician coin that served as a bus ticket in England

The coin was found among bus tickets in 1950s Leeds. The family who had it have now donated it to a museum.

A bronze coin discovered among bus tickets in England in the 1950s has been identified as a ancient artifact minted over 2,000 years ago in southern Spain. After decades in a family collection, the coin was donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries, where experts will study and preserve it.

The coin was originally found by James Edwards, a cashier who worked for Leeds City Transport. His job consisted of collecting and counting the fares collected by bus and tram drivers. When found foreign or counterfeit coins in the boxes, he took them home and gave them to his grandson, Peter Edwards.

Although neither his grandfather nor grandson considered themselves coin collectors, Peter said he was fascinated by the unusual objects. “For me, they were a treasure“, he recalled, quoted by .

Among the many coins James Edwards brought home, one stood out. Curious about the unusual iconography, Peter Edwards researched the design and discovered it probably had origin in the ancient Phoenician city of Gadirtoday known as Cádiz, in the region of Andalusia, Spain.

Archaeologists now confirm that the coin dates back around two millennia. She was sister-in-law when Gadir was a important Mediterranean town with a long and complex history. Founded by Phoenician traders around the 12th century BC, the city later came under the control of Carthage before finally becoming part of the Roman world.

The coin itself presents a peculiar iconography linked to this story. On the front is the image of the Phoenician god Melqartan important deity worshiped in cities such as Tyre, Carthage and Gadir. Melqart is depicted wearing the lion skin headdress associated with the Greek hero Hercules, reflecting the cultural fusion common in the ancient Mediterranean.

The reverse of the coin shows two bluefin tunas, a symbol that probably represents the fishing industry, fundamental to Gadir’s economy.

It is still not known exactly how the ancient coin arrived in Leeds. Peter Edwards believes she may have been brought to Britain by soldiers returning from abroad after the Second World War, although there is no definitive evidence to confirm this theory.

After keeping the coin for many years, Edwards decided to donate it to Leeds Museums and Galleries so that it could be properly studied and shared with the public.