Forgotten in a Cigar Box for 14 Years

Some people stumble onto opportunities. William “Punch” Jones literally stumbled onto one while tossing horseshoes in his backyard.

It was April 1928 in Peterstown, West Virginia, and Punch was playing a casual game with his father when something in the dirt caught the sunlight just right. They paused, brushed away the soil, and picked up a bluish-white stone.

It looked interesting enough to keep, but not interesting enough to investigate, so they did what any normal family would do: tossed it into a cigar box in the tool shed and forgot about it for fourteen years.

And then…

A Decade Passes

For more than a decade, the rock sat untouched through the Great Depression, multiple winters, and probably a few mouse families.

Then in 1942, Punch happened to show it to a geology professor at Virginia Tech, who took one look and nearly passed out. What Punch assumed was quartz was actually a diamond, a 34.48-carat diamond, in fact.

Not only that, it turned out to be the largest alluvial diamond ever found in North America. And it had been sitting in a box next to old tools the entire time.

Scientists are Left Befuddled

Geologists still don’t fully understand how a diamond of that size ended up in a West Virginia creek bed.

The state isn’t exactly known for diamond deposits. But the mystery only adds to the charm of the story: a world-class gem discovered by complete accident, not on an expedition or with specialized equipment, but during a backyard game that probably ended with someone shouting, “That was a ringer!”

Off to the Smithsonian

Once the diamond was authenticated, it spent time on display at the Smithsonian, lived for years in a safe-deposit box, and was eventually sold by Sotheby’s.

But the real magic isn’t the price it fetched or even its size. It’s the quiet lesson hidden inside the discovery: sometimes life drops something remarkable right at your feet and you don’t even recognize it at the time.

Curiosity Wins the Day

The Joneses didn’t go diamond hunting. They didn’t analyze the rock, research it, or auction it off immediately.

They simply noticed something curious, held onto it, and revisited it later. That small act of attention changed everything.

What This Means for Us

In our own lives, we often stumble onto ideas, relationships, or opportunities that seem ordinary in the moment. We toss them into a metaphorical cigar box (a folder, a notebook, a half-finished project) and move on.

But every once in a while, when we pull them out years later, we realize they were far more valuable than we thought.

So here’s your invitation this week: dig into your own “cigar box.”

• Revisit that idea you set aside.

• Reconnect with that person you lost touch with.

• Re-read that note you scribbled months ago.

The next breakthrough in your career or life might not require a grand plan, just the willingness to look twice at something you’ve been ignoring.

Because as Punch Jones proved, sometimes all it takes is a sunny afternoon, a backyard game, and a moment of curiosity for the world to reveal the treasure you’ve been standing on all along.

Tips and Strategies for Solopreneurs

Is Your Business Idea Any Good? Here’s How to Find Out Fast.

Find me on X, LinkedIn, Threads, or Book a 1:1 Call

Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you: