The £1m chess piece bought for £5 and kept in a drawer
● Warder one of five missing pieces ● Bought in 1964
A medieval chess piece missing for almost 200 years could fetch £1 million at auction after a family discovered the object they kept in a drawer is one of the long-lost Lewis Chessmen.
The Lewis Chess men–a famous hoard of 93 objects – were discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
But the whereabouts of five pieces from the collection have remained a mystery.
A family has now been told the chess piece their grandfather bought for just £5 in 1964 is one of the missing treasures.
The antiques dealer, from Edinburgh, had no idea of the significance of the 8.8cm piece, made from walrus ivory, which he passed down to his family. They have looked after it for 50 years without realising its importance before bringing it to S otheby’s auction house in London.
The Lewis Chess men are among the biggest draws at the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
They are seen as an “important symbol of European civilisation” and have also seeped into popular culture, inspiring the likes of children’s show Noggin The Nog and par t of the plot in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
So the by’ sex pert Alex ander Kader, who examined the piece for the family, said that his“jaw dropped” when he realised what they had.
He said the family, who want to remain anonymous, were “quite amazed”.
“It’s a little bit bashed up,” he said. “It has lost its left eye, but that kind of weather-beaten, weary warrior added to its charm.”
Despite not knowing its significance, the late 12th/early 13 th century chess piece had been “treasured” by the family.
The current owner’ s late mother believed it “almost had magical qualities”.
A family spokesman said in a statement: “My grandfather was an antiques dealer based in Edinburgh and in 1964 he purchased an ivory chessman from another Edinburgh dealer. It was catalogued in his purchase ledger that he had b ought an ‘Antique Walrus Tusk Warrior Chessman’.
“From this description it can be assumed that he was unaware he had purchased an important historic artefact.
“It was stored away in his home and then when my grandfather died, my mother inherited the chess piece.
“My mother was very fond of the Chessman as she admired its intricacy and quirkiness. She believed that it was special and thought perhaps it could even have had some magical significance.
“For many years it resided in a drawer in her home where it had been carefully wrapped in a small bag. From time to time, she would remove the chess piece from the drawer in order to appreciate its uniqueness.”
The Lewis Chessmen comprise of seated kings and queens, bishops, knights and standing warders and pawns. Some 82 pieces are now in the British Museum and 11 pieces are held by the National Museum of Scotland. As well as the chess pieces, the hoard includes 14 ‘tablemen’ gaming pieces and a buckle.
Since the hoard was uncovered in 1831, one knight and four warders have been missing from the four combined chess sets.
The newly discovered piece is award er, am an with helmet, shield and sword and the equivalent of a rook on a modern chess board, which “has immense character and power”.
“My mother was very fond of the Chessman as she admired its intricacy and quirkiness. She believed that it was special ...” FAMILY SPOKESMAN
It is the stuff of dreams. Put yourself in the position of the Edinburgh family who stumbled on an interesting curio, passed down through the family, hidden in a drawer for years and rarely given a second thought.
They took it to an antiques dealer, no doubt thinking that it might be worth a few pounds more than the £5 originally paid in 1964.
Not half. The 8.8cm walrus ivory piece has now been revealed as one of the long-lost Lewis Chessman – the famous hoard of 93 objects which were discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer
Hebrides. Missing for 200 years, it may now fetch a cool £1 million at auction. Not a bad return on that £5 investment.
The quite remarkable discovery is like an episode of Only Fools and Horses and Antiques Roadshow rolled into one. Congratulations to them and we hope they raise a glass to their shrewd grandfather who, while he did not make the connection, clearly knew a bargain when he saw one.
The rest of us can keep dreaming. There are still four missing chessmen out there… time to check the attic.