Doorstop Revealed As €1 Million Amber Nugget — 3.5 kg Rumanite Declared A National Treasure

A heavy 'stone' used for decades to prop open a door in the village of Colti, southeast Romania, has been identified as one of the world’s largest intact pieces of amber. The 3.5-kilogram (7.7-pound) specimen, once a humble doorstop, is rumanite — a prized local form of deep-reddish amber — and is now valued at roughly €1 million (about US$1.1 million).

Discovery And Appraisal

The piece was picked up by an elderly resident from a stream bed near Colti and kept at her home for years. After she died in 1991, an inheriting relative suspected the rock might be unusual. He sold it to the Romanian state, which commissioned experts at the Museum of History in Krakow, Poland, to examine it. Those specialists estimated the nugget to be about 38–70 million years old.

What Is Rumanite?

Rumanite is a regional variety of amber found in sandstone along the River Buzau and prized for its deep reddish hues. Amber forms when tree resin fossilizes over millions of years; its warm, translucent material is valued both as a gemstone and as a unique preservational medium that can entomb insects and other small organisms in exceptional detail.

Scientific And Cultural Significance

"Its discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level," said Daniel Costache, director of the Provincial Museum of Buzau.

Classified as a national treasure of Romania, the rumanite nugget has been on display at the Provincial Museum of Buzau since 2022. Beyond its monetary value, the specimen offers researchers an important window into ancient forest ecosystems and the organisms that inhabited them.

Context And Comparable Finds

The story echoes other surprising finds in which everyday objects turned out to be scientific or financial windfalls — for example, a Michigan homeowner who discovered a meteorite being used as a doorstop. Global amber discoveries continue to expand our understanding of deep time: 112-million-year-old amber from Ecuador has preserved multiple insect orders and a fragment of spider web, and 83–92 million-year-old amber was recently found in West Antarctica, supporting evidence of Cretaceous polar forests.

Why Amber Matters

Amber's ability to preserve delicate structures — from insect bodies to microscopic tardigrades and fragments of spider silk — makes it invaluable for paleobiology. Each large, intact piece like the Colti rumanite provides both a cultural artifact and a potential scientific treasure trove.

Where It Is Now: The Colti nugget is publicly displayed at the Provincial Museum of Buzau as a national treasure and is available for study by researchers and visitors.