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A scrap metal dealer in the US Midwest literally struck gold when he unknowingly bought one of 50 original Fabergé eggs.

Fabergé egg dodges the scrap heap

A lucky scrap metal dealer in the US Midwest literally struck gold when he purchased a small 8.2-centimetre gold egg, on the brink of being melted down for scrap, for just USD 13,000.

Published: 20 November 2014

Suspecting the egg was worth more, he found it was one of 50 original Fabergé eggs produced by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian tsars from 1885 to 1916. This one, said to be an Easter present from Tsar Alexander III to his wife, is worth around USD 33 million.

This egg sits on top of a gold stand, and a diamond acts as an opening mechanism to reveal a Vacheron Constantin watch inside.