They bought a piece of chess for a few cents and could be worth over a million dollars

A small warrior of about 9 centimeters could do millionaire to a family from Edinburgh, Scotland. According to experts at the auction house Sotheby's, this figurine that the grandfather of the antique dealers had bought five pounds sterling in 1964 was one of the pieces of Lewis chess, one of the most significant antiques of the Viking era.

There are four games of chess in the form of Nordic warriors. They were carved walrus ivory in the 12th century in Trondheim, Norway, and discovered in 1831 on the island of Lewis, north of Scotland, a region that gave them its name. The room that the family inherited is the equivalent to a tower in the game, and one of the five missing pieces, indicated the BBC.

"Lewis's chess pieces are steeped in folklore, legends and a rich tradition of storytelling," Sotheby's statement says. "They are an important symbol of European civilization", will continue the auction house. The piece will be auctioned on July 2nd. This is the first auction of an item in this collection.

According to Sotheby's, the game of chess is expected to sell between 600,000 pounds ($ 670,000) and a million pounds ($ 1.26 million) at the auction which will take place the month next.

According to the grandson of the antiquary, who brought the figure to Sotheby's for evaluation, the man never learned the value that he had. In its archives, it is cataloged as "an old piece of walrus defense".

"My mother liked this piece a lot because she admired its complexity and extravagance, I found it special and maybe even it could have had a magical meaning"said the owner.

"Since many years he was stored in a drawer of his house, where I had been carefully wrapped in a small bag. From time to time he would take the chess piece out of the drawer to appreciate its singularity. "

It's thanks to Sotheby's expert in European sculptures, Alexander Kader, that this little family treasure suddenly became a "treasure" to dry.

Kadler stated that he was "speechless" when he realized that the room that had been called to evaluate was a historical artifact. "It was one of the most exciting personal discoveries I've made in my career," he said.