How THIS Ordinary Doorstop Turned Into a MILLION-DOLLAR Discovery!

For decades, an elderly woman in Romania unknowingly used a seven-pound rock as a doorstop, only for it to later be revealed as one of the largest amber nuggets ever discovered.

According to the Spanish newspaper El País, the stone’s value is estimated to be around $1.1 million—a surprisingly luxurious choice to prop open a door. Ironically, when thieves broke into her house to steal her jewelry, they overlooked the valuable rock.

The woman, who passed away in 1991, originally found the rock in a nearby river close to the southeastern Romanian town of Colti. It wasn’t until one of her relatives inherited the stone that its potential worth was suspected. The relative sold it to the Romanian state, and experts at the Museum of History in Krakow, Poland, later confirmed it was an extremely rare piece of amber, dating back between 38.5 and 70 million years.

“Its discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level,” said Daniel Costache, director of the Provincial Museum of Buzau, in an interview with El País.

Amber, which is fossilized tree resin, has been considered valuable since ancient times, dating back to the Neolithic period. While we often associate amber with its golden hue, it can actually appear in a variety of colors, depending on the substances trapped inside during its formation.

These amber stones are sometimes found with ancient insects or small animals encased within them, making them not only rare gems but also valuable pieces of paleontological history.

The amber found in the Buzau region of Romania typically ranges in color from deep red to black. Since the 1920s, amber mining has been common in the area, with some stones revealing fascinating remnants from the past, including bird feathers, spiders, and even reptiles, according to El País.

So, if you live near Colti, it might be worth taking a second look at that old rock you’re using as a doorstop—you could be sitting on a treasure waiting to be uncovered.