Champagne pops as gold coins pour down on workers

A French champagne producer is spreading the wealth with his workers after more that €750,000 in gold coins rained down on them from the rafters of a building they were renovating.

“One of the workers (was) attacking the building’s ceiling with a crowbar when gold coins started to rain down on him, followed by sacks of gold,” Francois Lange, head of Alexandre Bonnet in Les Riceys France.

It’s not unusual to hear about treasure hunters combing the ocean’s depth for gold and other precious metals lost at sea, but finding $1 million in your office attic is quite a steal. And a valuable one too, given that demand for gold has reached new heights recently. In 2011, just an ounce of gold was valued at €1,460. In all, 497 gold coins were found, with the majority literally raining down upon the workers who were busy renovating the building. Minted between 1851 and 1928, the coins have a face value marking of €15 each.