Police from Neamts found a 10,000-year-old mammoth molar after it was put up for sale online for 4,000 lei. The molar was accidentally discovered by a man in a river bed, but not knowing its value and origin, he offered it to a woman who kept it as a decorative stone.

Woolly mammothsPhoto: Planetfelicity | Dreamstime.com

“During May, police officers of the Neamţ Criminal Investigation Service were informed that a molar was briefly advertised for sale on a mammoth online sales platform,” IPJ Neamţ reported. News.ro reports on Wednesday.

The quoted source said that on Wednesday, investigative and documentary activities carried out by the criminal investigation police led to the identification of the person in question, a 55-year-old woman from Borlesti.

“After an investigation by the police, it was established that the fossil was discovered accidentally, in 2018, in the Nechit riverbed, in the town of Borlesti, by a man from the same town, now deceased. He would have given it to a 55-year-old woman who would have kept it as a decorative stone without knowing its value and origin,” the police said.

According to them, the primary tooth of the mammoth, which is estimated to be about 10,000 years old, was seized by the police and will soon be transferred to a specialized state institution, in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The molar was put up for sale online for 4,000 euros.

What is said in the law on the discovery of cultural, paleontological and archaeological values

According to the law, natural persons who accidentally discovered things from the category of cultural, paleontological and archaeological values ​​are obliged to hand them over to state authorities within 72 hours from the moment of discovery.

The authors of accidental finds who handed over the discovered goods, under the conditions stipulated above, have the right to a monetary reward in the amount of 30 percent of the value of the goods, calculated at the time of awarding the reward, and in case of discovery of cultural values ​​of exceptional value, an additional bonus of up to 15% the cost of the product.