In 1831, 93 chess pieces, mostly carved from walrus ivory, were discovered on Scotland's remote Isle of Lewis. The chess pieces have been shrouded in mystery since their discovery, with most historians believing that they were carved between the late 12th and early 13th centuries in Norway. The chess set was missing five pieces when it was discovered⁠—but it turns out, one of the missing pieces had been sitting in a family home for decades. The anonymous family has had the chessmen ever since their grandfather, owner of an antiques store, bought it for £5 ($6 USD) in 1964. The family kept it in their home, unaware of its value or historical significance, for decades, until eventually taking it to Sotheby's Auction House out of curiosity.  

Once the family was made aware of the chessmen's value and significance, they decided to sell. On July 3, 2019, it fetched £735,000 ($929,000) at auction.

The buyer wishes to remain anonymous. As of now, 82 of the 93 pieces originally found reside in the British Museum in London, and the remaining 11 reside in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. 

Head to CNN to learn more about the history of the Lewis Chessmen.