An English treasure hunter struck gold when he was hunting for treasure in England and unearthed a solid gold figurine that is now in the British Museum.
Experts say that solid gold figurine was once part of Henry VIII’s long-lost crown, the New York Post reported.
“At first I wondered if it was a crumpled foil dish from a 1970s Mr. Kipling product, or even a gold milk bottle top,” Kevin Duckett told the Sun this weekend.
“I got a very loud positive signal from my detector and started to dig down before spotting something … It was lodged in the side of a hole just a few inches down.”
Duckett found a 2 1/2-inch, solid gold enamel figure that was lost for more than 400 years.
In 1649, Oliver Cromwell abolished the monarchy, beheaded King Charles I, and ordered Henry VIII’s crown melted down and sold as coins.
The orders were not followed, and instead, the 344 stones were sold separately while the rest of the crown remained intact, never to be seen again.
Henry VIII wore the crown at his coronation and during his 1540 wedding to Anne of Cleves. He also wore the headpiece to the coronations of his children.
The British Museum, where the object remains now, has classified it as a “pilgrim badge” made in the Middle Ages, BBC News reported. The museum said more research is needed to determine if the figurine is, in fact, from Henry VIII’s crown.
The figurine is valued at nearly £2 billion, according to BBC News.