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The couple used it as a plant pot after finding the historic object in their pond.

Mystery Object - 900 year old Italian font found in a Dorset garden sells for £4000 at auction.

How the unique 12th century Italian stone font had ended up buried in a pond in Dorset will never be known.

The startling find was made by a retired couple whilst draining their garden pond near Dorchester, Dorset.

They initially thought the font was a concrete lining of the pond, but as they dug deeper the medieval treasure emerged from the soil.

Not realising the bowls great age and rarity the couple converted the find into a garden pot, before eventually contacting Dukes auctioneers in Dorchester some time later.

The beautifully carved font in a Romanesque style features birds and mythical beasts in scrolling foliage. sold at the Dorchester auctioneers this week.