Put your little grey cells to work on this mystery . . .

Three years ago at an auction of items belonging to Agatha Christie, one lucky lady paid $150 (100 British pounds) for an old leather trunk. The trunk bears the initials CMM, which the new owner now knows are those of Christie's mother - Clara Margaret Miller. Wouldn't you love to own an item like this from the estate of Dame Agatha? Perhaps she traveled with it on the Orient Express or kept manuscripts for new novels in it while on working on digs in Iraq with her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan . . . or, oh! the possibilities are endless.

The owner of the trunk must be a patient person - the trunk was locked and, though she suspected something was inside, she did not force it open until recently. Could you stand to wait three years? When it was opened it revealed another mystery - a locked strongbox.

And when it was opened, it revealed true treasure, and not just the 'valuable to a fan' kind of treasure. But, the treasure of legends - gold, silver, diamonds!

The box contained 50 gold coins and the jewelry seen above. The ring is thought to be Christie's mother's engagement ring. What a marvelous surprise! And for those of us who think all the great antiques have been discovered - here's proof we're wrong. So, find an auction near you and look for hidden treasure . . .

Click here to read the entire story or click here for details on visiting Agatha Christie's home, Greenway, seen above (including the mural painted by an American GI during WWII).

As for me, I'm off to look for treasure of a smaller kind . . . my well-read copy of 4:50 from Paddington.