Lewis Chessman Lost For 200 Years Found In Edinburgh Family's Drawer

Jun 10, 2019 by apost team

Do you ever wonder what hidden treasures you may find hiding around your house? Many people have been inspired by television shows like ‘Antiques Roadshow’ when they go through the belongings in their home and try to determine what they’re worth.

Hidden gems and artifacts of history have often been found in the most peculiar places, like put away in a basement, inherited from relatives, or tossed away in a drawer to be forgotten. But one family found the artifact of a lifetime when they stumbled upon a chess piece from the medieval era that had been missing for almost 200 entire years.

Of course, when it was found, the family didn’t have a clue that the piece was so important. Unbeknownst to them for years, the piece would be worth around £1m, or $1,270,130, at an auction.  According to BBC, These chess pieces derive from the Isle of Lewis, found in the year 1831. But five pieces have since gone missing, and it’s been a mystery to where they ended up.

The family that found the piece lives in Edinburg, and their grandfather had bought the chess piece as an antique dealer many years ago in 1964 for a steal of just £5, or $6.35. Of course, he had no idea what the piece was actually worth. The family has been in possession of the piece for 55 years without knowing the true value of the piece. But recently, they took it to an auction house called Sotheby, located in London.

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The family could have never known that what they possessed is actually one of the biggest and most notable installments at the British Museum as well as the National Museum of Scotland in their hometown. These pieces are considered relevant parts of European civilization and are now well-known in popular culture, even deserving of a cameo in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s stone.

The expert who analyzed the chess piece was in awe when it was brought in front of him for a free evaluation of worth. Although the piece is slightly damaged, the evaluators state that it only adds to the charm and character of the piece. What’s even more interesting is that despite not knowing the worth behind the piece, the family has treasured it for years, even believing that it may have qualities of magic inside of it. The family regularly took the piece out of its drawer to appreciate the beauty but remained unaware of the value it possessed.

The complete Lewis Chessmen set has pieces of kings, queens, bishops, knights and even pawns and warders. Although many of the pieces have been found, historians and those who work at the museums cannot help but wonder and hope that the other pieces turn up someday to complete the sets. The British Museum currently boasts 82 of these pieces on display, while the National Museum of Scotland holds 11 of them.

People love going to the museums to see these Lewis Chessmen pieces, and they are often a draw for many tourists that visit the area. Not only does the set include playable chess pieces, but also 14 table men pieces. When the group of pieces totaling four sets was discovered in 1831, the whereabouts of four warders have gone unknown. But this recent piece found in Edinburg is one of these missing warders. The warder itself is adorned with a helmet, sword, and shield. This piece is the equivalent to a rook on today’s modern chess boards, thus holding much power and importance to the set overall.

But the origin of the board still remains somewhat of a mystery. There are mythical legends about the hoard of pieces being dug up by animals such as cows on sandy shores. It is believed that the objects were buried immediately upon being made. Some believe that they were disposed of by a merchant in order to evade taxes after a shipwreck. But we do know that the pieces remained buried for many years, and some think that timeframe could be up to 500 years before they were found.

The piece is now set to go up on display in Edinburg this week before it goes to auction. It is probable that the piece will then be loaned to a museum for permanent residence. Obviously, selling the piece for over a million dollars will drastically change the life of the family that was in possession of the artifact. This story proves that you never know what hidden treasures you may have lurking around your home!

Now, people are left wondering where the remaining four pieces have ended up. It’s time to dig up some of your favorite memorabilia and see what it’s worth! What do you think about this story? Do you own any trinkets as valuable as this one?