The grandad said from that moment his “life changed”
Jimmy Willis has had the objects for 35 years now(Image: Andrew Teebay)
A former taxi driver said he “couldn’t believe” what strangers had in the back of his cab. Jim Willis, from Anfield, said he picked up two men from Liverpool Lime Street and took them to Fazakerley.
When Jim arrived at the destination, the passengers revealed to the 73-year-old, who now lives in Walton, they had no money, but instead offered him usual objects, hidden inside a suitcase, as a form of payment. The pair explained how they had found it behind rocks on an Island in Corfu and brought it back to the UK with them. Jim said it looked like nothing more to junk to him but left given there was no other option but to accept the offer.
Jim, a dad-of-three and grandad-of-four, told the ECHO: “The lads said they were playing football and the ball ran down the mountain, and while they were looking for the ball, they found it in a box, with rocks on top of them. They offered me the objects, so rather than lose the £7 fare, I agreed to take the contents of the box, and from that moment, my life changed.”
This was back in 1989. Fast forward to today and Jim, alongside his brother Eddie, who lives near Otterspool, believes the objects “may hold the secrets of the ancient world”.
Brothers Jimmy and Eddie Willis, with what they believe to be ancient Chinese vessels.(Image: Andrew Teebay)
The siblings have spent the last few decades researching the mysterious objects and after speaking to multiple experts, the two claim they have “got something of incredibly profound significance, and are ready to share them with the world”.
They are adamant the objects are Chinese bronze cups – known as casters – and are essentially an ancient form of ‘encyclopaedia’ and could be “the greatest find for mankind in generations”.
Jim said he first realised the objects were unique on a special morning in August 1989. He said he was upstairs when his wife Christine shouted at him to come down.
He added: “She said to me, ‘there’s a rainbow in the living room’, so I raced down to inspect her claim. As I entered, I looked out the window to see nothing at all, so I left the room again.
The vessels were all hidden inside one another to begin with(Image: Andrew Teebay)
“Moments later, she shouted me in, claiming the rainbow was back. As I stood by the door, to my amazement, there it was. So I followed the arc of the spectrum to find its source, and it turned out to be the vessel.”
Jim has been trying to solve the mystery since that day. The vessels include engraved images of constellations, animals, mountains, people as well as picture writing. They also reportedly contain holograms.
Jim has spoken to leading experts in the fields of astronomy and ancient artefacts, who he claims have confirmed that the vessels are genuine, and contain astronomical charts and much more besides.
A professor of Chinese Languages and early script, who was consulted on the find, said that the writing, pictures and early scratching are so old that they are unable to read it.
Jim visited the late and highly regarded William Watson, renowned professor and author of numerous books on ancient Chinese bronzes, at his home in Bala, North Wales, in 1991.
Jimmy Willis is determined to get official confirmation on what the objects are(Image: Andrew Teebay)
He is reported to have confirmed the vessels are indeed a form of encyclopedia, containing wisdom and knowledge from the ancient world, and were an example of something called ‘the great shrinkage’.
Jim’s brother, Eddie, a great-grandad, told the ECHO: “From the very beginning when I came in with Jimmy to give him a hand with this we recorded all our findings.
“I got all the old VHS tapes out of his loft, which he hadn’t seen for 25 years. Then we took them to a friend of ours who put them on a DVD for us, and started going through them to see what was on those tapes.
“When we put the VHS tapes on the machine in Jimmy’s house, they were black and white, but when I put my little video camera on it, the black and white turned to colour.
“Everything we do, we put on tape, and my mate puts them on DVD. So basically, we’ve got a complete record, from day one when Jimmy started, up to the present time. What we’ve found is unbelievable, it really is.”
Multiple experts have chimed in on what they believe the objects to be(Image: Andrew Teebay)
At first, Jim believed the object to be on its own but another taxi driver spotted an outer flange at the top of the vessel when he was expecting. Jim said it was “like a Russian doll” and after spending hours prising the seal open, there was six more objects hidden inside.
Jim said: “When assembled, the vessels were of great strength; however, when separated, they appeared very thin and delicate.
“If the claims are proven correct about the objects and what we’ve been told by the experts, it would be like finding the Holy Grail, or having an invitation to the Last Supper.
“I have been trying to unravel this mystery for decades and if the expert opinion I have been given is correct, the artefacts I have could contain the oldest surviving manuscripts known to man. It’s a mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes.”
Jim said he has never tried to sell the items as he believes they should be back in China “in their home”. But until he knows for definitely what the objects actually are, he wants to keep digging.