Most people will at some point have found some loose change down the back of their sofa but Norman Hore could not believe his luck when he found more than just the odd coin.
He had been searching down the back of his second-hand sofa for a missing guitar plectrum and began finding coins – which eventually amounted to £85.
Mr Hore, 65, was at home with friends when he dropped his instrument's pick and began rummaging in the crevices of his couch.
He started finding coins so kept searching and ended up with a massive pile of 1ps, 2ps, 5ps, 10ps, 20ps, 50ps, £1s and £2s.
By the time he had finished Mr Hore, of Newquay, Cornwall, had found exactly £85 down the back of his sofa.
Mr Hore, who runs an IT company, bought the fabric couch from its previous owners two years ago – for £250.
He says he had never noticed a gap underneath the cushions where money can fall.
Mr Hore said: ''There was a gathering at my house and I was about to play the guitar when I dropped the plectrum.
''I pulled out some coins and just kept going. I suppose some of the money is mine and some of it is theirs.
''But there were some £2 coins down there too and I would have noticed losing them.
''I guess they had never checked down there either. It must have been cash that has slipped out of trouser pockets."
Mr Hore bought the sofa after seeing it in a newspaper's classified ads in the winter of 2010. He said he is now planning to add the money to his holiday fund.
According to a recent survey by the Halifax bank, the typical Briton has £1.61 in loose change down the back of their sofa – which adds up to £42 million across the nation.