ITTAI GRADEL, an academic–turned–gem dealer in Denmark, was trawling eBay a decade ago when he thought he had stumbled across a gold mine.
On his screen, Gradel saw a seller called Sultan1966 advertising a glass gem from the 19th century.
Gradel immediately recognized it as something much more valuable: an agate Roman Medusa cameo from the second century, featuring the mythical Gorgon with snakes as hair.
He snapped it up for £15 plus postage, then turned around and sold it to a collector for a couple of thousand pounds.
Persons:
ITTAI GRADEL, –, Gradel
Organizations:
eBay
Locations:
Denmark