Man claims to have Paul Revere's snuff box

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PROVIDENCE , R.I., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- An early Americana collector in Providence, R.I., reportedly claims he has a snuffbox that once belonged to Paul Revere.

Steve Dionne is determined prove that the silver knickknack belonged to the American patriot, who died in 1818, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

"When my eyeballs first hit the box, I was blown away by it, because I know his lettering. All I could think was, how am I going to prove it?," Dionne said.

Despite Dionne's inability to provide evidence that the box is in any way connected to Revere, he reportedly attempted to sell it on eBay for $2.5 million. He took the listing off the site after nobody placed a bid, the newspaper said.

Dionne reportedly purchased the box in 2006 from an antiques seller who said it was from a Vermont estate sale.

Dionne is standing up to doubts from experts who say his Revere claim is unsupported, the Globe said.