A Frenchman who inherited a big house from a dead relative got more than he bargained for when he discovered a glittering treasure trove of gold coins and bars worth millions stashed around the place. Squirrelled away in hiding places throughout the house, he came across thousands of gold coins and bars weighing 100 kilogrammes in total. "There were 5,000 gold pieces, two bars of 12 kilos and 37 ingots of 1 kilo," Nicolas Fierfort, a local auctioneer said, confirming a report in the local La Depeche newspaper.
First he found a tin box of coins screwed to the underside of a piece of furniture. From there the trail led to a box for a bottle of whisky and other hiding places until he hit the jackpot: a pile of gold bars each weighing 12 kilos.
All the certificates of authenticity were later found in the deceased's estate. The gold has already been sold to various French and international buyers. But the real winner could be the taxman, La Depeche said. Apart from being liable for a 45-percent inheritance tax, the finder will also have to pay three years in back taxes on it if the deceased failed to declare his treasures.
