Sometimes people complain that luck doesn’t knock on their doors ever. However, it tasks some looking to know when it does.
The same is the story of an elderly woman in Romania who found a nice-looking rock in a nearby river near the southeastern town of Colti and decided to use it as her doorstopper.
It was a seven-pound large rock in deep amber color and it served as her doorstopper for several decades until she passed away in 1991. After her death, one of her relatives inherited her belongings including the doorstopper.
He suspected it might have some value and decided to get it checked. Turned out, he was right. It was a valuable rock – $1.1 million in value to be exact.
The Museum of History in Krakow, Poland later confirmed it to be an extremely rare amber stone, estimated to be between 38.5 and 70 million years old.
According to a report by Spanish newspaper El País, the stone is valued at around $1.1 million, making it an exceptionally valuable doorstop. Ironically, even thieves overlooked this rare find while stealing other jewels from her home.
“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, which currently holds the rock.
Amber, the fossilized remains of tree resin, has been highly valued since Neolithic times. Despite its common association with the color amber, the gem can come in various colors depending on the substances trapped within it. Amber is also known to trap insects or small animals, making it valuable for paleontology.
The amber found in the Buzau region of Romania usually ranges in color from red to black. People have been mining amber in this region since the 1920s, with many findings containing fascinating artifacts like bird feathers, arachnids, and even reptiles.
This remarkable discovery serves as a reminder to those living near the town of Colti to re-examine their seemingly mundane possessions. Who knows? Your doorstop might just be an incredible treasure waiting to be discovered.