Sep 05, 2024 01:52 PM IST
An elderly woman in Romania used one of the world’s largest amber nuggets as a doorstop for decades without realising its true value.
An elderly woman in Romania used one of the world’s largest amber nuggets as a doorstop for decades without realising its true value. According to Spanish newspaper El País, the prehistoric gemstone is actually worth over $1.1 million.
The unnamed woman found the amber nugget near a stream in the Romanian village of Colti many years ago. She picked it up without realising its value and used it as a doorstop in her home for decades. No one, including jewel thieves who once broke into her house, realised that they were staring at a piece of history worth 1 million euros.
A startling discovery
The true value of the amber nugget only came to light after the woman died in 1991 and it caught the eye of one of her relatives. The man who inherited the doorstop examined it more closely and suspected that it might be worth something.
His suspicions were proven right when he sold the nugget to the Romanian state, which quickly classified it as a national treasure. Romania gave the nugget to the Museum of History in Krakow, Poland to confirm its authenticity.
Polish experts confirmed its authenticity and estimated that the amber nugget is between 38.5 and 70 million years old.
“Its discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level,” said Daniel Costache, director of the Provincial Museum of Buzau, where the amber nugget is currently housed. Costache believes it is one of the largest pieces of amber in the world.
Meanwhile, relatives of the late woman said that thieves failed to recognise the real treasure before their eyes when they broke into her home and departed with a few pieces of gold jewellery.
“In their frantic search for valuables, they overlooked the real treasure that was there before their eyes,” the relatives told El País.
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