Someone used a mystery 2,000-year-old coin to pay a bus fare without realising

The ancient coin has been traced back to the 1st century AD and is now at Leeds Museums and Galleries (Picture: Leeds City Council/Cover Media)

A mysterious coin used to pay a bus fare in Leeds is actually rare currency that dates back more than 2,000 years.

The artefact, unknowingly handed to a bus driver in the 1950s, was minted by an ancient Carthaginian civilisation in Cadiz during the 1st century BC.

It has now been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries after spending decades tucked away in a small wooden chest.