Ammon News - A coin once used to pay a bus fare in Leeds was created by an ancient civilisation more than 2,000 years ago, researchers have confirmed.

The rare currency came into the hands of James Edwards in the 1950s, when during his job as a chief cashier for Leeds Transport Company, he would gather fares from bus and tram drivers.

Putting aside any fake or foreign coins he came across, he would pass them on to his young grandson Peter, who for more than 70 years kept them safe.

Curious about its origin, Peter traced the coin's history and discovered it was made by the Carthaginians - an ancient Mediterranean civilisation with Phoenician roots - in the Spanish city of Cádiz during the 1st Century BC.

Peter, 77, said: "My grandfather would come across coins which were not British and put them to one side, and when I went to his house, he would hand me a few.

After discovering the coin's significance, Peter contacted Leeds Museums and Galleries and decided to donate it so it could become part of their collection of ancient currencies.

BBC