A military enthusiast from England, Nick Mead, made an intriguing discovery after purchasing a tank online from eBay in 2018 – five hidden gold bars. Now, six years later, Mead expresses regret over his decision to return the treasure to authorities, citing a lack of a finder’s fee and no compensation from the government.
Mead, a 62-year-old with a deep passion for military history, operates a Tanks-a-lot farm in Helmdon, Northamptonshire. In 2018, he spotted an old tank on eBay, a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-55 tank later known as the Type 69 tank used by the Iraqi Army during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Iraqi soldiers left the tank behind, unintentionally leaving behind a fortune in gold.
Purchasing the tank for approximately Rs 31 lakh, Mead was astonished to find five gold ingots hidden inside, valued at around Rs 21 crore. Although he handed over the gold bars to authorities, Mead now expresses regret, lamenting the absence of any finder’s fee. In an interview with Daily Mail, he mentioned, “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.”
According to Mead, the gold bars bore fingerprints identifying their origin in Kuwait. He believes the gold is undoubtedly from Kuwait, further confirming the tank’s historical connection to the Iraqi invasion.
The tank, purchased for Rs 31 lakh from a seller named Heeves on eBay, had undergone a complete rebuild. Mead, who owns 300 military vehicles, revealed that each gold bar weighed 5 kg.
The Daily Mail report sheds light on Mead’s disappointment over the lack of compensation or acknowledgement for the substantial value he handed over to authorities. Despite his regret, Mead’s story adds a unique chapter to the unusual discoveries made by enthusiasts in the realm of military memorabilia.
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