A $6 item used as doorstop has a unique history. Now, experts think it's a million dollar treasure.

Sometimes centuries of history and heritage may be hiding in plain sight, while people look for it in archaeological sites and spectacular artifacts. Such is the case of a sculpture that was purchased for just $6 by a Scottish town council and was used as a Doorstop for years later turned out to be a masterpiece made by celebrated French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon. Over time, the importance of the 18th-century sculpture was forgotten but the piece was recognized recently and is now estimated to be worth $3.2 million. The piece which was purchased in 1930 for $6 would cost roughly $500 now even if the price is adjusted for inflation.

Following the purchase of the sculpture, it was never actually displayed in the town hall and went missing until 1998 when someone saw it and realized that he was looking at a bust created by the French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon in the early 18th century. 

Bouchardon was known for his neoclassical statues, many of which he created during his time as an artist in the court of French King Louis XV. Neoclassicism took shape in the 1760s and drew inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome. After his time in the court, he created a bust of John Gordon, an 18th-century local landowner who “was believed to be the founder of the town of Invergordon," as per the statement from the highland council of the region. Gordon's family owned Scottish lands and met Bouchardon in Rome where he later created the marble sculpture in 1728, according to BBC News. 

Since its rediscovery, the Highland Council acquired the sculpture and later sold the masterpiece to an anonymous buyer who approached them via Sotheby's with an offer of about $3.2 million. According to reports, the proceeds are set to go to Invergordon, the town in northern Scotland that originally purchased it almost 100 years ago.

Something very similar happened back in 2018 when a rock that was also used as a doorstop was later found to be a meteorite worth $100,000. The 22-pound rock that had been placed next to a door in Michigan for decades later turned out to be a meteorite according to Central Michigan University. Speaking with CNN, Mona Sirbescu, a CMU geology professor said, "For 18 years, the answer has been categorically ‘no’ – meteor wrongs, not meteorites."

She said she "could tell right away that this was something special," after noticing the oddly shaped rock. After testing it was determined that the stone was indeed a meteorite, made of of 88.5% iron and 11.5% nickel. Weighing 22 pounds, it’s the sixth-largest recorded find in Michigan, and potentially worth $100,000, according to CMU. "It’s the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically," Sibescu added.

The rock was later sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington for verification and was validated to be a meteorite. As per reports, the rock arrived on Earth sometime in the 1930s and was obtained by the current owner in 1988.