Workmen Find Eighteenth-Century British Coin Under Newport Lawyer's Driveway

NEWPORT, RI— Roy Caetano works for Narragansett Improvement; and he was on the job paving on front of 26 Hunter Ave., this morning when he made a rare find.

Caetano, of Fall River, Mass., had found a pre-Revolutionary war coin. He knocked on the homeowner's door.

Former Newport Councilor Mike Farley answered, and Caetano gave him the 1730 British coin.

"Okay, that's yours," he told Farley.

"He just handed it to me," said Farley, who gave the laborer a $40 reward.

Caetano said he was excited when he saw the coin in the ground under the driveway. He has found one other collectable coin in the past, but nothing to compare with this coin.

His other discovery? A 1944 U.S. dime, he said.

Photo of Coin Courtesy Mike Farley

Caption: Victor Pereira, of Seekonk, Mass., left, and Roy Caetano, of Fall River, Mass., look at photo they took of the coin.