NEW YORK CITY — A Jersey man's shellfish meal pretty much paid for itself, and more, after one of his oysters turned out to be a real gem.<br /><br />The New York Post reports that when Rick Antosh met a buddy for lunch at New York's Grand Central Oyster Bar on December 5, he ordered his usual oyster pan roast.<br /><br />All of a sudden, he felt something rolling around his mouth, and became momentarily terrified that he'd lost a tooth or filling.<br /><br />It turned out to be something way more valuable — the 66-year-old had been noshing on a pea-sized pearl, which he ended up pocketing.<br /><br />At the time, he didn't think it was all that unusual, and so didn't inform the restaurant. The place had been open since 1913, so customers finding a precious gem in their oyster probably wasn't that rare. Right?<br /><br />He later got curious and called the oyster bar, and was gobsmacked to be told it was only the second time something like this has happened in the last 28 years.<br /><br />Even more pleasantly surprising is the fact that the pearl is likely worth around 2 to 4 thousand bucks, according to one pearl dealer the Post consulted.<br /><br />Antosh still doesn't know what he's gonna do with his find, but damn — that $14 lunch was one heck of an investment.
