A MEDIEVAL chess piece that was missing for almost 200 years had been unknowingly kept in a drawer by an Edinburgh family.

They had no idea that the object was one of the long-lost Lewis Chessmen — which could now fetch £1 million (US$1.27 million) at auction.

The chessmen were found on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 but the whereabouts of five pieces have remained a mystery.

The Edinburgh family’s grandfather, an antique dealer, had bought the chess piece for £5 in 1964.

He had no idea of the significance of the 8.8-cm piece, made from walrus ivory, which he passed down to his family.

They have looked after it for 55 years without realizing its importance, before taking it to Sotheby’s auction house in London.

The Lewis Chessmen are among the biggest draws at the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

They are seen as an “important symbol of European civilization” and have also seeped into popular culture, inspiring everything from children’s show “Noggin The Nog” to part of the plot in “Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.”

Sotheby’s expert Alexander Kader, who examined the piece for the family, said his “jaw dropped” when he realized what they had in their possession.

Kader, Sotheby’s co-worldwide head of European sculpture and works of art, said the family, who want to remain anonymous, were “quite amazed.”

The Lewis Chessmen set includes seated kings and queens, bishops, knights and standing warders and pawns. Some 82 pieces are now in the British Museum and 11 pieces held by the National Museum of Scotland.

As well as the chess pieces, the hoard includes 14 “tablemen” gaming pieces and a buckle.

Since the hoard was uncovered in 1831, one knight and four warders have been missing from the four combined chess sets.

The newly discovered piece is a warder, a man with helmet, shield and sword and the equivalent of a rook on a modern chess board, which “has immense character and power.”

(SD-Agencies)

Mr Kader, who has kept the discovery under wraps for six months while authenticating the find, said: “We can safely say that a million pounds will transform the seller’s life.”

He added: “There are still four out there somewhere. It might take another 150 years for another one to pop up.”

The object will go on display in Edinburgh on Tuesday and in London just before the auction on July 2, with Mr Kader saying it could be bought by, or be loaned to, a museum.

(SD-Agencies)

(SD-Agencies)