A Champagne producer struck gold when a flood of U.S. gold coins rained down on workers remodeling a building on his property, the Agence France-Presse reported. The coins had been tucked away in the building’s rafters.

François Lange, who heads the Champagne house Alexandre Bonnet, said on Tuesday that workers recovered 497 gold coins worth about  $980,000. The coins were minted between 1851 and 1928, according to the Agence France-Presse.

"One of the workers was pounding on the building's ceiling with a crowbar when gold coins started to rain down on him, followed by sacks of gold," Lange told the Agence France-Presse.

Where the gold coins originated is unknown, but the building was formerly a grape-drying facility that had belonged to a wine producer who traded with Britain and the U.S. in the 1930s. The Champagne house is located in Les Riceys, a village in north-central France that is dotted with Renaissance churches and known for its rosé.

Lange told the Agence France-Presse that the gold coins will be divided between the workers and the owner of the Champagne house. He said they may produce a special vintage in honor of the found treasure. 

This article includes reporting by msnbc.com staff and Agence France-Presse.