For 25 years, Colin Steer was bewildered by a sunken portion of the floor under the couch in his Plymouth, England, home. At one point, he dug about a foot under the floor, but his wife, Vanessa, stopped him from going farther."My wife just wanted me to cover it back up because we had three children running around at the time," Steer said. "I always wanted to dig it out to see if I could find a pot of gold at the bottom."After he retired at the end of last year, he went back to digging -- and what he found under his home, some might say, is a golden discovery.Steer, with the help of a friend, uncovered a 30-inch-wide, 33-foot-deep medieval well under the floor that site plans indicate could date back to the 16th century, British tabloid The Telegraph reported Hidden deep inside was a sword , which Steer grabbed while he was excavating the well, and using a rope to lift out debris."It was hidden at a 45-degree angle and sort of just fell out," Steer told The Telegraph. "It looks like an old peasant's fighting weapon because it appears to be made up of bits of metal all knocked together."