A simple rock used to prop open a door for years ended up being worth a small fortune. This kind of thing doesn’t happen every day, but when it does, it makes us all want to check what we’re using to keep our doors from slamming shut. This is the story of the Million-Dollar doorstop.
An Unexpected Inheritance
In southeast Romania, an elderly woman found a reddish chunk of what she thought was just a rock in a stream bed. Nothing special, right? She took it home and put it to work as a doorstop.
For decades, this 3.5kg “rock” sat there, doing its job without complaint. The woman never knew what she actually had in her possession. After she passed away in 1991, a relative inherited her property and noticed this odd-looking doorstop.
Curious about what it might be, he decided to get it checked out by experts.
The Shocking Truth
The verdict? This wasn’t just any rock. The humble doorstop turned out to be one of the largest intact pieces of amber in the world.
And its value? Around €1 million.
According to a report by El Pais, the Croatian government bought this amazing find and then sent it to the Museum of History in Krakow, Poland.
Science and History in One Package
Scientific analysis revealed that this amber deposit is between 38 and 70 million years old. It likely came from the resin of prehistoric coniferous trees and was preserved through intense geological pressure over millions of years.
Amber has long been valued for making jewelry and was even thought to have medicinal properties. This particular type, known as rumanite, is highly prized.
Now classified as a national treasure of Romania and a protected cultural asset, this amazing discovery has found a home at the Provincial Museum of Buzău.
“Its discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level,” Daniel Costache, the museum’s director, told El Pais.
The museum plans to study the material further, including its composition, structure, and any ancient biological material that might be trapped inside.
Not the First Time
This story brings to mind a similar case from Michigan. There, another “rock” used as a doorstop for decades turned out to be a rare meteorite worth $100,000.
This 10kg space rock was brought to Central Michigan University for examination in 2018. Experts think it landed on a farm in Edmore, Michigan back in the 1930s.
Mona Sirbescu, a geology professor at CMU, said at the time: “I could tell right away that this was something special. It’s the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically.”
Do you own the next Million-dollar doorstop
So what can we learn from these stories? Not all treasure shines like gold – and maybe take a second look at what your family members are using to keep their doors open.
Who knows? Your next million might be hiding in plain sight.
