Carthaginian Coin Used as Bus Fare in England Revealed as 2,000-Year-Old Relic
A 2,000-year-old coin, originally from the Carthaginian empire, was unknowingly used as bus fare in England. The artifact, produced in what is now Cadiz, Spain, was recently donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. The coin was collected in the 1950s by James Edwards, a Leeds City Transport employee, who set aside coins that couldn't be cashed, including foreign currency. His grandson, Peter Edwards, later researched the coin's origins and donated it to the Leeds Discovery Center. The coin, bearing the image of the god Melqart, reflects the historical practice of Phoenician coins carrying Greek imagery to appeal to traders.