A small ivory figure bought for five pounds in 1964 just sold for £735,000. That’s a 147,000 percent return on investment, and it marks a new world record for medieval chess pieces. The piece, a walrus tusk warder, spent 55 years wrapped in a bag inside a drawer at the home of the dealer’s daughter. She had no idea it was worth more than her house.
The story kicks off when an Edinburgh antiques dealer logged the purchase in his sales book as an “Antique Walrus Tusk Warrior Chessman.” After he died, his daughter inherited the oddity. A family spokesperson told Sotheby’s that her mother loved the piece for its “intricacy and quirkiness,” believing it held some kind of magical significance. It stayed hidden until the family finally took it to Sotheby’s in London for a free valuation.
Alexander Kader, Sotheby’s co-worldwide head of European sculpture, said he was called to the counter for a routine check. “I said, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s one of the Lewis Chessmen,’” Kader told the Press Association. He kept the discovery secret for six months while experts verified its authenticity. The weathered figure, now identified as a warder (the medieval equivalent of a rook), is part of the famous hoard found in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis.
Historians believe the pieces were carved in Norway between 1150 and 1200 AD. Most of the original 93 objects sit in the British Museum, with 11 in Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland. Before this sale, five pieces were known to be missing: one knight and four warders. This discovery shrinks the gap. Kader noted that the worn condition of this specific piece adds to its charm, giving it “real presence” in the room.
Four pieces remain out there. Kader warned that finding the others could take generations. “It might take another 150 years for another one to pop up,” he said. For now, the record stands, and the mystery deepens.