Man’s oyster pan roast was $14.75. But the pearl he found inside was worth much more

When Rick Antosh sat down to dine with a high school friend at the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, the 66-year-old had no idea he would soon make an unusual discovery.

But when he began to munch on his oyster pan roast at the New York restaurant earlier this month, Antosh noticed something odd.

“For a fraction of a second, there was terror,” Antosh told the New York Post. “Is it a tooth; is it a filling?

“And then holy crap, I realized it’s not a tooth,” the New Jersey man told Pix11. “It’s a pearl.”

That’s right: After ordering a $14.75 oyster pan roast, Antosh discovered a pearl that is probably worth much, much more, the New York Post reported.

Sandy Ingber, executive chef at the restaurant, told NorthJersey.com that out of the 5 million oysters sold at his business each year, only a couple of people have found a pearl in his 25 years working there.

“It’s extremely rare,” Ingber told the New York Post, “so that makes it interesting and exciting.”

Antosh said he was in the middle of talking with his longtime friend when he noticed the pearl in his mouth, CBS reported.

“We were engaged in conversation and all of a sudden, whoop, what is that?” he told CBS. “I didn’t bite on it, but I sensed something was odd.”

After his discovery, Antosh took a good look at the pearl — still thinking that it might be something else.

“When I saw the black dot that really intrigued me. What is that?” he told CBS. “I first thought, ‘Is this something that broke off a utensil from the kitchen?’”

The man didn’t tell anyone about the pearl while at the restaurant, instead waiting until he got home to call the business and confirm that it was real, the New York Post reported. Eddie Livi, owner of DSL Pearl in New York, estimated it is worth between $2,000 and $4,000.

But Antosh says he might hold on to the pearl as a lucky charm. He told CBS that it could come in handy during the new year.

“For next year, this is a sign,” he told CBS.

This story was originally published December 18, 2018 at 9:08 AM.