In 1964, about 55 years ago, Louis Ward bought an ivory chess piece worth $ 6. He had no idea how important the 8.8 cm piece was.
Warder kept the artifact in a cupboard, but his family discarded something amazing after taking it to the Sotheby´s auction house in London, where the piece is worth $ 1.3 million, according to a BBC report.
Sotheby´s expert Alexander Kader, who examined the piece for the family, said he was shocked when he realized what was in their possession. He added that the owners of the piece bought it for evaluation.
The Lewis Chessmen, found in 1831 in Hebrides, had 93 pieces, most of them ivory, but the knight and four "guards" were missing. Eighty-two pieces are now on display in the British exhibition in London, while another 11 are on display at the Scottish National Museum, Edinburgh.
The newly discovered piece is a guard, a man wearing a helmet, a shield and a sword. This chess piece of the Middle Ages has been lost for almost 200 years.
"We can safely say that a million pounds will change the life of the seller," said Mr. Kader, who kept the discovery secret for six months while checking the discovery.
"There is still 4 somewhere. It may take another 150 years for somebody else to pop up. "
