A military enthusiast bought a tank on eBay recently and discovered $2.5 million of gold bars hidden inside in one of the most unexpected and intriguing places where gold has been found.
Nick Mead discovered the five gold bars stashed inside the diesel tank of the ex-Iraqi Army Type 69, a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-55, back in 2017.
It’s believed the bullion was looted by plundering Iraqi soldiers during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait but forgotten about inside the 36.7-ton tank.
Man regrets handing in the gold found in the tank from eBay
Stunned by the discovery, Mead handed the gold to the authorities. Now, seven years later, he has admitted he wished he had kept the hidden booty.The 62-year-old, who runs Tanks-a-Lot on his farm in England, told the Daily Mail: “I regret handing it in. I should have at least got a finders’ fee for it but I got absolutely nothing.”
“When we found the gold bars we didn’t know what to do with them. It’s not like you can take five gold bars down to the pawn shop. So we called the police.
“Gold has a fingerprint. They know where it’s been mined. It was definitely stolen from Kuwait. At the time there were all these wonderful conspiracy theories claiming we had kept it. But I haven’t got any money for it, sadly.”
Mead told the Daily Mail he isn’t sure what has happened to the gold and believed the authorities were still trying to track down the bullion’s owners.
The exact history of the tank is unknown but an inspection revealed it is a Chinese copy of the Russian T-55 design and manufactured under the designation Type 69.
It was built in the early 1980s and has just 1,507 miles on the clock. The vehicle was first bought by a self-taught mechanic, who has been restoring military vehicles for seven years, and resold on eBay.
Gold Worth $2.5 Million Found Hidden in Tank Bought on eBay - GreekReporter.com
A military enthusiast who bought a tank on eBay and discovered $2.5 million of gold bars hidden inside says he 'regrets' handing it in
greekreporter.com
Well at least Spain has not claimed it.....Yet.
Monumentally stupid.
Hand it to "the authorities" for what purpose? So the government can have it?