ANTIQUES DEALER FINDS POSSIBLE 1,300 YEAR OLD RELIC FROM THE CRUSADES

AN ANTIQUES DEALER BELIEVES THAT AN ORNATE PIECE OF WOOD HE FOUND AT A LOCAL CAR BOOT SALE MAY PERHAPS BE A PRICELESS CHURCH RELIC 1,300 YEAR OLD FROM THE CRUSADES. THE SMALL PIECE OF PAINTED WOOD IS BELIEVED TO HAVE COME FROM A BOX WHICH THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR USED TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS ITEMS AS THEY MOVED ACROSS EUROPE DURING THE CRUSADES OF THE MIDDLE AGES. BUT IT COULD BRING LEEDS ANTIQUES DEALER MARTIN ROBERTS A BIG WINDFALL AT THE NEXT STOP ON ITS UNLIKELY JOURNEY - AN AUCTION HOUSE IN LONDON. ANALYSTS BELIEVE THAT THE ITEM, WHICH MEASURES 10 INCHES BY FOUR INCHES AND IS DECORATED WITH INTRICATE MILITARY AND RELIGIOUS IMAGES COULD DATE FROM BETWEEN 700 AND 1200AD. IF THE PIECE COMMANDS A LARGE SUM, IT WOULD BE A SECOND MAJOR TRIUMPH IN TWO YEARS FOR ROBERTS, WHO BOUGHT AN ANCIENT ARTIFACT FOR £50 AND SOLD IT FOR £30,000 IN 2007. HE ACQUIRED THE TABERNACLE DOOR FROM A FRIEND AS A CAR BOOT SALE IN OTLEY, IN EXCHANGE FOR A PINE CHEST OF DRAWERS AND SIX VICTORIAN GLASS HANDLES WHICH HE HAD BOUGHT FOR ONLY £13. "CHRISTIE'S HAVE NEVER SOLD A TABERNACLE DOOR BECAUSE THEY'VE NEVER SEEN ONE, SO WE REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT MIGHT FETCH", HE SAID. "IF IT SELL FOR 600 POUNDS, IT SELLS FOR 600 POUNDS. IF IT SELLS FOR SIX MILLION POUNDS, THEN OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY FINE BY ME. IT'S NOT THE MONEY THAT MATTERS TO ME, IT'S THE ABSOLUTE BUZZ OF DOING THE RESEARCH AND MEETING WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THEIR SUBJECT." IF ITS ORIGINS ARE VERIFIED, THE UNUSUAL ITEM IS EXPECTED TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER AT CHRISTIE'S IN DECEMBER.