A medieval missing for almost 200 years sold for £735,000 at auction yesterday – after it was bought for a fiver and kept in a drawer for decades.
Five pieces of the historic Lewis Chessmen – a famous hoard of 93 objects found in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides – have been missing for years.
They date back to between 1150 and 1200 and thought to have been made in Norway when it was part of the Western Isles.
But a family from Edinburgh discovered the chess piece their grandfather bought for just £5 in 1964 was one of the missing items.
Their spokesman said: “It was stored away in his home and then when my grandfather died, my mother inherited the chess piece. For many years, it resided in a drawer in her home where it had been carefully wrapped in a small bag.
“My mother was very fond of the chessman as she admired its intricacy and quirkiness. She believed that it was special and thought perhaps it could even have had some magical significance.”
The family looked after it for 55 years – having no idea of its value.
The historic item was sold at Sotheby’s in London yesterday.
The chess pieces are said to have inspired part of the plot in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
