Wall of Gold

A remarkable cache of historic gold coins, hidden in a wall of a French home and discovered after the owner’s death, sold for more than €3 million (US$3.48 million) earlier this week at a Paris auction. The collection belonged to Paul Narce, who lived a modest life in a small village in southwest France and died in 2024. Despite living frugally, Narce managed to quietly amass more than 1,000 gold coins, many dating back centuries. According to auction house Beaussant Lefèvre and Associates, which handled the sale, the coins were “exceptional both in number and rarity.”

Among the highlights were ancient Greek coins from the Kingdom of Macedonia (336-323 B.C.) and near-complete coin series from the reigns of French kings Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI.

Few people knew about Narce’s passion, and he has no direct descendants. After his death, a notary searching the house discovered the trove hidden behind a painting in a storeroom wall. In addition to the cataloged coins, he found 10 packets each containing 172 gold 20-franc coins—roughly the weight of a gold ingot.

The Beaussant Lefèvre and Associates auction drew strong interest and far surpassed its pre-sale estimate of €2 million ($2.43 million).