Forget the lotto – 71yo retiree Carmel Ash stumbled across a 424-carat sapphire worth more than $300,000 during a walk in Queensland. Naturally, she’s given the gem a name – ‘Amazing Grace’ – and has it under lock and key to help boost her retirement funds.

If gold is more your thing… A US man has dug up over 800 Civil War-era coins, estimated to be worth millions, in a Kentucky cornfield. He sums it up best in the video of his find: “the most insane thing ever”.

And if you’re planning a clean-out, Queensland couple Cathy and Phillip Harth say it pays to do some digging before you dump anything… They found a box of metal in their shed, which turned out to be the pieces of a 1934-era birthday cake-shaped clock – and it just fetched $48,000 at auction.