[8] On 6 July 2011, two Fabergé researchers in the US, Vincent and Anna Palmade[4] discovered an image of an egg identical to the one in the 1902 Von Dervais exhibition photograph in an old catalog for a March 1964 auction at Parke-Bernet (now Sotheby's).

[9] The "newly discovered image of the egg ... prompted a frantic search by Sotheby's to trace its whereabouts" and presumably led to the article by Roya Nikkhah titled "Is this £20 million nest-egg on your mantelpiece?"

While the hypothesis of current English ownership proved invalid, the search efforts and commentary in the United Kingdom led to the publication of the Telegraph article which included the black and white photograph from the 1964 catalog and repeated much of the description, including that the egg contained "a gold watch by the Swiss watch maker Vacheron & Constantin."

McCarthy reported the scrap dealer "hadn't slept for days" and "brought pictures of the egg and I knew instantaneously that was it.

[2] McCarthy subsequently flew to the US to verify the discovery and described the find location as "a very modest home in the Mid West, next to a highway and a Dunkin' Donuts.

[2] McCarthy noted that the scrap dealer "invested some money in this piece and hung on to it because he was too stubborn to sell it for a loss" and "I have been around the most marvellous discoveries in the art world, but I don't think I've ever seen one quite like this – finding this extraordinary treasure in the middle of nowhere".

[2] Wartski bought the egg on behalf of a Fabergé collector who allowed the firm to exhibit the piece, for the first time in 112 years, in April 2014.