A British retiree found an antique gold ring in the 70s and left it in his garage for more than 30 years. He was surprised to learn it was a valuable medieval treasure. up to 10,000 pounds (more than 280 million VND)
Tom Clark, 81, dug up the jewelry after finding it with a metal detector in an area of farmland in 1979.
He then put the ring in a metal box and forgot it in the garage for more than 30 years, until recently he accidentally found it again.
The antique ring that Mr. Tom Clark forgot.
Mr. Clark, a retired craftsman, was sorting through the objects inside his mother’s house after she passed away eight years ago, when suddenly, the forgotten treasure appeared.
He decided to take out the ring with the special seal and was truly stunned when he discovered it was a medieval artifact dating back 670 years, from the 1350s.
The ring is engraved with an ancient Latin inscription and contains what is said to be an “important medieval legacy”.
It will now be sold at Hansons A Historic Auction House in Etwall, Derby, England, next Tuesday with an estimate of £8,500 to £10,000
Mr Clark, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, said: “I had actually completely forgotten about it. I found it around 1979 on some farmland just outside.”
According to Mr. Clark: “At that time I only discovered that it was a metal ring and didn’t realize there was anything special about it.”
“I brought it to a museum along with many other rings that I had also turned around to inquire about its value. But a week later, when they returned, they told me that these rings were not antique and returned them to me,” he said.
Then this old man put them all in a tin box and left them in his mother’s garage. And a few months ago, Mr. Clark was sorting through some things in this garage and happened to find a tin box with rings in it.
“I have learned a lot over the past 50 years about antiques and their value. I immediately knew it was a ring dating from around 1350. The body of the ring needed repair, but luckily the head was intact. I then took it back to the local museum and the discovery was recorded,” he said.
“It is gold of the highest purity and must have belonged to someone important in the past, given the decorations and the quality of the ring,” Mr. Clark added.
Mark Becher, History expert at Hansons, said: “This is an important piece of history. The ring is about 670 years old. It is a forgotten treasure.”
The ring has the Latin inscription “NVNCIE.VERA.TEGO” which can be translated as “I hid the true message”
