Wedding Sovereign
It was the summer of 1907 and for his daughter Elizabeth's wedding to carpenter Archibald Gilbert, farmer Henry Trigg had bought them a freshly minted gold sovereign as a traditional gift.
Somehow, however, the tiny coin fell from his pocket as he walked in his orchard prior to the big day and defied attempts to find it.
For years afterwards the disconsolate farmer would scour the 54 acres of Deal Farm in Greatham, Hampshire, telling people that he was sure he had lost the coin somewhere near the drive.
Farmer Trigg went to his grave with the coin still unfound - but now it has dramatically resurfaced more than 100 years later after some detective work by the £2m farm's latest occupant Alan Booton.
Mr Booton, 64, a garden centre owner, heard about the coin as he researched the history of his 450 year old property and by using old maps and an expert with a metal detector was determined to find it.
He said: "I was fascinated by the history of the place and had been put in touch with a man called Ron Shotter whose family farmed it in the 1930's to find out what life was like.
"He told me about the sovereign and how farmer Trigg kept coming back to look for it. That immediately got me interested and a local history group came in with a metal detector - but found nothing more than a few buttons and a buckle.
"Then I called in an expert called John Forster who told me that people never lose things where they think they have. So instead of looking up and down the drive we got out the old maps and saw there had been an orchard at the back with a path running through it.
"John spent a day out there and found nothing - but said he would come back the next day. I was sitting on my terrace having a coffee when I suddenly saw him jumping up and down with excitement."
Mr Forster said: "I had only found a military cap badge and a few old shell cases when I suddenly got a good clear signal. I dug down about four inches and there was the sovereign looking up at me in perfect condition. I was a little excited to say the least - it's the first gold sovereign I have found in 30 years of metal detecting."
The coin, which measures just 12.55mm in circumference, bears the head of King Edward VII on one side and St George slaying the dragon on the other. Its current value is around £150 - although Mr Booton, who keeps it under lock and key at the farm, has no intention of parting with it.
He said: "I was just so pleased to have found it; it's a unique thing to have. I'm just sorry for poor old farmer Trigg. Perhaps it explains why he looks so glum in the wedding photograph."
The farmer, who was aged 49 at the time of the wedding on June 27th, 1907, and his wife Sarah had four daughters.
Elizabeth, who was known as Polly, and her groom were both aged 21 and went on to have four children of their own at Stedham in West Sussex.
Their granddaughter Jill Scott, 75, said: "I had not heard the story of the coin before. But I can remember as a child going to Deal Farm and seeing Henry Trigg who was my great grandfather. He was very stern as gentlemen were in those days.
"My grandparents were lovely people and I was very very fond of my grandmother. She was very much involved in village life and they were both good churchgoers."