Hackney Hoard finder and artist Gavin Turk appear in gallery launch this week

A former support worker, who discovered the Hackney Hoard in a back garden in Stamford Hill, will join renowned British artist Gavin Turk for the launch of a new gallery this week.

Terry Castle will retell his story at Gallerie8 in Richmond Road as part of its first exhibition, which explores the history of the hoard and asks, ‘what is treasure?’

The father-of-three was one of four people to dig up a cache of 80 American ‘Double Eagle’ coins - believed to be worth up to �100,000 - while widening a frog pond at a supported living housing scheme in Bethune Road in July 2007.

The finders reported the hoard to the Museum of London and could have received a substantial reward – had no owner come forward.

But in April, following years of research, the coroner for Inner North London awarded the 22-carat-gold coins to an 81-year-old man in Israel whose family buried the cache but were killed in the Blitz.

Terry, who is a psycho-geographer, musician, and artist, will present a video he has made on the story at the opening of the exhibition on Friday (July 22).

He said: “It’s kind of ironic that after years of not getting anywhere, in terms of artistic recognition, suddenly I’m treading the boards with the ‘great and the good.’ But for a reason I couldn’t have ever expected.”

Also on show will be one of Gavin Turk’s bricks, which sparked media frenzy in 2009 when a thief stole one of the �3,000 exhibits and replaced it with another worth 40p.

And artist and amateur historian Adam Dant, who has organised the show, will display a map of Hackney suggesting sites to dig for treasure.

Gallery director Audrey Yeo said: “It’s nice to have Terry to describe the feeling of finding the gold. He says in the film that it doesn’t mean anything to him, but I think it has changed his life.

“We are interested in the fictions and stories in Hackney and think it should be a really fun show.”