Young Sydney couple return $18k worth of diamond rings found in op-shop board game

Mandy Flack and Chris Lightfoot were stunned to discover some very expensive rings in an op-shop board game. Photo / Facebook

A thrifty Aussie couple who discovered $18,000 of valuable jewels in a second-hand boardgame are now returning the rings to their original owners.

Chris Lightfoot and Mandy Flack struck gold — or diamonds, at least — when they opted for a quiet night in to play a board game with the parents.

Inside a board game they had purchased for the night from a local op-shop was $18,000 worth of diamond rings hidden in a secret compartment, reports news.com.au.

The pair told news.com.au that after their story went viral, the owners of the board game tracked the couple down and called them.

"We have actually found the owners so we are trying to return them," Mr Lightfoot told news.com.au. "They found me from the story."

He said they are now planning to return the valuable rings.

The original owners of the board game live on Prince Edward Island, the same maritime province in Canada where Mr Lightfoot picked up the game.

It was after the couple decided to pack up their lives in Sydney for a new adventure on the other side of the world that they were confronted with the sparkling surprise.

They spent a few months in Mexico before setting themselves up in Toronto where Chris pursued his passion in horticulture.

When the 27-year-old's parents came to town for a visit, they decided to escape the city and head up to the picturesque fishing village of Prince Edward Island — a decision that turned out to be a very solid investment.

The diamond rings are worth $18,000. Photo / Yahoo7 News

"I figured my parents were in town so we're not exactly going to have a wild night out drinking, I thought maybe we will go to the thrift shop and pick up some board games," Chris told Yahoo7 News.

After browsing through the shelves, they settled on a collection of riddles called Mind Trap.

"We bring it back and start playing and mum starts asking the questions. She goes to put the cards back in and she's like 'what's going on, they don't fit'," he said.

"She puts her hand in and finds a false bottom.

"She reaches in and pulls out a diamond ring and then another, and another and another.

"We are just standing there looking at each other like holy s**t is this for real?"

The next obvious question was, who would claim the prize? Chris told Yahoo7 News that he devised a well thought out and rational system.

"I called dibs straight away," he said.

The young couple made the effort to track down the board game's original owner but were unsuccessful.

When they went to have the rings valued, they were told their $2 board game earned them a whopping $18,000.

"A couple of them are worth five grand … to be honest I thought about heading back to the store and buying every board game they had," he joked.

Luckily Mandy was quick to shut down her partner's idea of having the diamonds removed and placed in his teeth. He later opted for a more fitting option.

"When our visa is up, we thought about buying a new boat and just setting sail to the Bahamas," Chris said.

Moral of the story: Hanging out with your parents can pay off.