The discovery was a continental dollar made of pewter and minted in 1776.  “To think this is a coin that dates back to the year of [America's] independence, and to have it found in the U.K., is unique,” said auctioneer Joseph Trinder of Wotton Auction Rooms based in Gloucestershire, England.

The coin was one of only 6,000 made.  Only about 100 remain.  Its value was one dollar at the time of its creation; it is worth thousands of dollars today.

“This coin represents a discovery that is in the top five of my career to date, and the sort of thing every auctioneer up and down the country hopes they’ll find,” Trinder said.

The coin was sent to the Numismatic Guaranty Company based in Sarasota, Florida in the U.S. to be tested for authenticity.  It was scientifically examined and found to be genuine.

“There were some really interesting pieces like gold coins and some other valuable items,” Trinder reported as he discussed the other contents of the toffee tin, “but languishing at the bottom of this tin of treasures we found this amazing continental dollar coin.” *

Consider another discovery of a valuable treasure:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46

The value of something is determined by the price that is paid for it.  The value of the kingdom of heaven is the blood of Jesus, God’s Son.  His blood, shed for the forgiveness of the sins of mankind (Matthew 26:28), is what made the promised kingdom (Isaiah 2; Daniel 2) become a reality.

On the Day of Pentecost in the 1st century (see Acts 2), Peter and the other apostles of Jesus Christ announced the arrival of the spiritual kingdom that King Jesus had purchased with His own blood.  Jesus was proclaimed and proven to be the promised Messiah.  He was the Messiah, but He had been crucified by unbelievers outside the same city (Jerusalem) in which they were standing.  Yet, the blood that He shed was the very thing that enabled people to become a part of His kingdom.

Convicted of their sin of crucifying the Son of God, many in Jerusalem cried out to the apostles, “What shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41).  Added to what?  The church, the kingdom of heaven.

From that point forward, these new members of the kingdom were to live out the rest of their lives in submission to the King.  The King had promised that those who would follow Him faithfully would one day inherit an eternal kingdom in heaven (cf. Romans 8:15-17; Revelation 2:10).

Because Jesus paid the price for your sins, YOU can be a part of His heavenly kingdom, if you will submit your life to the King.  Anything that you must leave behind to enter the kingdom will be worth it, for the kingdom is of incomparable value.

-- David A. Sargent