Possible medieval artifacts found in B.C. thrift store, donated for study
Eleven rings and two medallions found in a thrift store will be studied by students in a new Simon Fraser University archaeology course focusing on origins and ethics.
- A Chilliwack thrift store donated eleven rings and two medallions to Simon Fraser University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for study, believed medieval or Roman.
- A customer with an archaeology background alerted store volunteers after finding 11 rings and two medallions priced at $30 each, prompting contact with Simon Fraser University experts.
- Sabrina Higgins, associate professor, tentatively dates the rings and medallions to the fourth or fifth century and identified a Chi Rho symbol on one medallion, with floral designs suggesting different periods.
- Facing those ethical questions, museum staff and researchers weighed origin and ownership concerns before accepting the donation, and students in the new archaeology course at Simon Fraser University will analyze the artifacts and ethical issues.
- If authenticated, the items would be the museum's first Roman artifacts, but researchers say even possible forgeries will stay indefinitely and take at least a semester to study.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Centuries-old artifacts discovered for sale at B.C. thrift store for $30
About a year ago, Simon Fraser University Prof. Sabrina Higgins received an unusual inquiry. Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack was looking for someone to accept a donation to the university’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

Possible medieval artifacts found in B.C. thrift store, donated for study
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Simon Fraser University - Rare ‘medieval' artifacts found in B.C. thrift store donated to SFU for study
Bargain and treasure hunters beware: You never know what you might find at your local thrift shop.Rare artifacts dating back potentially thousands of years have been found in a British Columbi. . .
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