A small thrift shop in Chilliwack, British Columbia, has become the unlikely source of a remarkable medieval mystery. Eleven rings and two medallions, believed to date from the Middle Ages, were purchased for just $30 before being donated to Simon Fraser University (SFU) for study.
The artefacts surfaced at the Thrifty Boutique, a charity shop supporting the Chilliwack Hospice Society. A customer with an archaeology background noticed their unusual designs and alerted store volunteers, who in turn contacted SFU experts.
Photo courtesy SFU/ Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
“This is an incredibly exciting donation and an amazing opportunity for students here at SFU,” explains Sabrina Higgins, associate professor of global humanities and archaeology. “It will take at least a semester – if not longer – to piece together the origins of these artifacts.”
Although the objects were first thought to possibly date to the Roman era, Higgins believes they are more likely medieval in origin. “The shapes, designs and construction make me think that these are medieval, as the Romans typically used slightly different materials and techniques,” she notes.
Preserved Against the Odds
Sabrina Higgins, SFU associate professor, Global Humanities and Archaeology, and Barbara Hilden,director, SFU Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, examine the rare artifacts that have been donated to SFU for study. Photo by Sam Smith / SFU
The rings and medallions are now housed at SFU’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, where they will be carefully analysed. Museum director Barbara Hilden emphasises the rarity of their survival:
“The fact that these items continue to exist is quite extraordinary. If they are hundreds or thousands of years old, then at any point along the way they could have been lost, broken or discarded. Yet they’ve been kept, preserved, and now they’re entering a new chapter.”
The forthcoming research will look closely at the materials, craftsmanship, and iconography of the pieces to determine their precise origin. The museum hopes the work will eventually allow them to tell the stories behind these long-lost belongings.
Teaching with Treasure
Some of the artifacts that have been donated to SFU for study. Photo by Sam Smith / SFU
The discovery is set to play a central role in SFU’s archaeology teaching. Beginning in 2026, a new course will allow students to investigate the artefacts directly, combining hands-on study with ethical reflection on the antiquities market.
Cara Tremain, assistant professor in SFU’s Department of Archaeology, highlights the importance of these issues: “Opportunities like this are incredibly rare. Students will get the chance to directly confront some of the ethical questions that the museum faced in accepting this collection under these circumstances.”
Questions of provenance loom large: if the objects were removed from their archaeological context, valuable cultural information could have been lost. Yet if they had not been recognised and preserved, they might never have been studied at all.
Genuine Relics or Clever Forgeries?
Photo courtesy SFU/ Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Without archaeological context, there remains the possibility that the rings and medallions are forgeries. Even so, both Higgins and Tremain see value in the investigation.
“What we’re doing is essentially being detectives – we’re trying to recover the story of these items,” Tremain explains. “They could offer up new information that may change the way we think about that culture or history.”
Photo courtesy SFU/ Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Higgins adds that even forgeries can teach valuable lessons: “There’s still an interesting learning experience for the students in terms of going through an object systematically to determine whether it’s real, or a forgery, and questioning why forgeries continue to make their way into the antiquities market.”
The course will culminate in a public exhibition at SFU’s museum, where visitors will be invited to reflect on both the biography of the artefacts and the ethical dilemmas of working with undocumented antiquities.
For now, the rings and medallions wait in Burnaby, carrying with them secrets from centuries past—and the promise of a new generation of medieval detectives eager to uncover their history.
Some of the artifacts that have been donated to SFU for study. Photo by Sam Smith / SFU
A small thrift shop in Chilliwack, British Columbia, has become the unlikely source of a remarkable medieval mystery. Eleven rings and two medallions, believed to date from the Middle Ages, were purchased for just $30 before being donated to Simon Fraser University (SFU) for study.
The artefacts surfaced at the Thrifty Boutique, a charity shop supporting the Chilliwack Hospice Society. A customer with an archaeology background noticed their unusual designs and alerted store volunteers, who in turn contacted SFU experts.
“This is an incredibly exciting donation and an amazing opportunity for students here at SFU,” explains Sabrina Higgins, associate professor of global humanities and archaeology. “It will take at least a semester – if not longer – to piece together the origins of these artifacts.”
Although the objects were first thought to possibly date to the Roman era, Higgins believes they are more likely medieval in origin. “The shapes, designs and construction make me think that these are medieval, as the Romans typically used slightly different materials and techniques,” she notes.
Preserved Against the Odds
The rings and medallions are now housed at SFU’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, where they will be carefully analysed. Museum director Barbara Hilden emphasises the rarity of their survival:
“The fact that these items continue to exist is quite extraordinary. If they are hundreds or thousands of years old, then at any point along the way they could have been lost, broken or discarded. Yet they’ve been kept, preserved, and now they’re entering a new chapter.”
The forthcoming research will look closely at the materials, craftsmanship, and iconography of the pieces to determine their precise origin. The museum hopes the work will eventually allow them to tell the stories behind these long-lost belongings.
Teaching with Treasure
The discovery is set to play a central role in SFU’s archaeology teaching. Beginning in 2026, a new course will allow students to investigate the artefacts directly, combining hands-on study with ethical reflection on the antiquities market.
Cara Tremain, assistant professor in SFU’s Department of Archaeology, highlights the importance of these issues: “Opportunities like this are incredibly rare. Students will get the chance to directly confront some of the ethical questions that the museum faced in accepting this collection under these circumstances.”
Questions of provenance loom large: if the objects were removed from their archaeological context, valuable cultural information could have been lost. Yet if they had not been recognised and preserved, they might never have been studied at all.
Genuine Relics or Clever Forgeries?
Without archaeological context, there remains the possibility that the rings and medallions are forgeries. Even so, both Higgins and Tremain see value in the investigation.
“What we’re doing is essentially being detectives – we’re trying to recover the story of these items,” Tremain explains. “They could offer up new information that may change the way we think about that culture or history.”
Higgins adds that even forgeries can teach valuable lessons: “There’s still an interesting learning experience for the students in terms of going through an object systematically to determine whether it’s real, or a forgery, and questioning why forgeries continue to make their way into the antiquities market.”
The course will culminate in a public exhibition at SFU’s museum, where visitors will be invited to reflect on both the biography of the artefacts and the ethical dilemmas of working with undocumented antiquities.
For now, the rings and medallions wait in Burnaby, carrying with them secrets from centuries past—and the promise of a new generation of medieval detectives eager to uncover their history.
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