A 22-year-old man bought a coin that he believes could date back more than 2,000 years for just £29. Coin collector Stephen Creswell snapped up what he thinks is a half shekel from Tyre - which dates back to 126BC - at an auction in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. The coins are believed by Biblical scholars to have been the same as those used to pay Judas Iscariot his 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus. Lost treasure? The coin found by Stephen Creswell, 22, which he believes to be half a shekel from Tyre . Collector: Mr Creswell, pictured, bought the coin for just £29 at an auction in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire . But one expert claims the coin is unlikely to be an original and believes Mr Cresswell might have a 'mock up'. The battered coin weighs 7.7grams, half of a full shekel's weight. The earliest reference of the coin comes in 126BC and it is understood that they remained in circulation. Shekels were used for temple tax in ancient Jerusalem due to their relatively higher concentration of silver than other Roman coins. In Matthew 27:3 it is said: 'Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders...' In some translations of the bible, the word 'silver' is replaced with 'shekels'. Mr Creswell, from Dudley, West Midlands said that he bought the coin as part of a selection but quickly realised he had 'something special'. He said: 'As soon as I saw how old it was I knew I had something special on my hands. I had no idea what it was though until I typed it in to the search engine. 'I'm not really a coin collector, but I just love to grab a bargain.' But after looking at images of the coin, one expert said he does not believe it to be a shekel as Mr Cresswell had hoped. Payment: The coins are believed by Biblical scholars to have been the same as those used to pay Judas Iscariot his 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus, illustrated in this image above . Professional numismatist Mike Vosper told MailOnline: 'I can confirm that this is not even a coin but either a contemporary forgery, although this is doubtful, or more like a modern mock up of a "coin" believed to be some kind of shekel.' Mr Vosper, who runs Mike R Vosper Coins with his partner Viv, said it was the fabric of the coin and the fact that it has half its surface missing that gives it away. Viv added: 'Some coins have surface deposits but nothing like that'. Mr Vosper added that coins such as that is not likely to be found in the UK. The coin, if real, could fetch up to £500 if it was to be sold. Mr Creswell has no intention of selling it on as it reminds me of playing with artifacts when he was younger. He said: 'We had these old coins lying around when I was a kid. They always fascinated me because of the places they have travelled and the hands they could have passed through.' Mr Cresswell started attending auctions as a teenager and said he loved their competitive nature. He said: 'Bidding against other people is part way between placing a bet and taking part in a competition. 'I hate leaving any auction empty handed. My home is full of quirky objects that I've picked up along the way. Without doubt, the half shekel is my favourite so far.'
Collector Stephen Creswell, 22, bought the coin at auction for just £29 . He believes it is half a shekel from Tyre which dates back to 126BC . Coins were used to pay tax in ancient Jerusalem and are cited in the bible . But coin expert said its appearance means it is unlikely to be an original .