Cadbury's 22-carat golden egg - PHOTO

Made by the Queen's jeweller, designed by the nation's favourite chocolatier, this 22-carat golden egg dazzled Britain in 1983.Created for a giant egg hunt, the 'Creme Egg mystery Conundrum', it sent hundreds of hopeful winners into a frenzy, searching for cryptic clues all over the country.The hunters were asked to locate a casket containing a certificate, entitling them to claim the valuable prize.However the competition proved so popular that it had to be called off before all the caskets had been found after thousands of people started digging up private land and historic sites. This egg, made by Garrard and Co, jewellers to the Queen, was called The Burning Hand.It was the tenth out of 12 made for the competition and was found buried in the grass verge of the A66, west of Bowes in County Durham. The man that found it, who wishes to remain anonymous, scoured the clues in the specially-made book and worked the egg was nearby. The three-inch collectible has been in his possession ever since. Now, he has decided to sell it.TV antiques expert David Harper said: 'The country went mad for the competition and it ran out of control. The chap who found the casket said he literally tripped over it.'It's been in his possession ever since.'The egg will be entered into a specialist sale of 20th Century goods which will be held in Cheshire on January 28-29. Its estimated value is between £6,000 and £8,000, but its colourful history could see that figure doubled, experts claim.Last year, another of the collection - found in a cemetery - was sold on the Isle of Man.Ellis Finch, of auctioneers Bonhams, said: 'It is a solid gold egg that is hollow inside and the surface has been chased and enamelled extremely skilfully.'The Isle of Man egg was the 12th mystery in the book and the cryptic tour ended at Maugold (more gold) churchyard.Copies of the Cadbury’s Conundrum book, by Don Shaw, are still available to buy today and one was sold with the other egg last year.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az