What was the item that Lucius Malfoy refused to sell to Borgin?

Question

In a deleted scene for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" film, Harry (hidden in the Vanishing Cabinet?) observes Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy going to Borgin and Burke's shop, and Malfoy informing Borgin that he is there to sell, not to buy items, due to raids by the Ministry. So far, close to the book.

Then, in a scene where the book has Malfoy giving Borgin a parchment with a list of items he wishes to sell, the movie's deleted scene instead has him put down a big box full of items, and Borgin examines them one by one.

In the middle, Borgin picks up an item, and Lucius forcefully tells him "This particular item... is NOT for sale!". Borgin then replies "I... I understand... It has unique qualities. One wouldn't want to see it fall into the wrong hands".

However, the scene is quite dark and murky and focus is on their faces. So it's entirely unclear which item Lucius refused to sell.

Is there any canon info on what that item was? (including movie canon).

My best guess would be that it was implied to have been Tom Riddle's Diary, but I am at a loss to find any evidence confirming that.

Answer 1

It may well have been the advanced Time-Turner seen in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It certainly possesses the quality of "uniqueness" that Malfoy Sr. prizes so strongly.

DRACO: The Time-Turner the Ministry seized was a prototype. Made of inexpensive metal. It does the job — sure. But only being able to go back in time for five minutes — that’s a serious flaw — it isn’t something you’d sell to true collectors of Dark Magic.

HARRY realizes what DRACO is saying.

HARRY: He was working for you?

DRACO: No. My father. He liked owning things that no one else had. The Ministry’s Time-Turners — thanks to Croaker — were always a little vanilla for him. He wanted the ability to go back further than an hour, he wanted the ability to travel back years. He’d never have used it. Secretly I think he preferred a world without Voldemort. But yes, the Time-Turner was built for him.

Answer 2

Not sure if you find it canon enough, but I'll try to explain why I think it was the diary with a simple fact. Borgin took the whole chest, not the items themselves. Let me recreate two scenes then.

Let's first imagine it's not Tom Riddle's diary, but something else entirely.
The diary was not in the chest then, but in Malfoy's pocket. So Malfoy left the shop carrying two dark items to give to two different people, one he would eventually give to Ginny and that other one from the chest to... someone else (not seen in the book or movie). It is a bit more complicated for Malfoy if it's not the diary. I guess slipping dark items into other people's cauldrons is not the thing you wish to do more than once in one day )) Although he could have taken the item back home, but why put it in the chest in the first place, just not to sell it?

Now let's imagine that it is the diary. He carried all the dark stuff in one chest, sold all but one item, disposed of that other one whilst still in Diagon Alley, came back home item-less )

You cannot find the confirmation of the first scene anywhere, but you can find the confirmation of the second one. Because it's shown that way.

Answer 3

I believe it was the diary. He had in mind who he wished to drop said item off. In a scene or two later. When he puts it in the cauldron of Ginny Weasley... too bad the movie never showed the fight scene betwixt Draco's father and Mr. Weasley like the book stated...

Answer 4

I just watched the scene and it appears that the item he takes out of the box is too small to be the diary. Possibly the ring with the resurrection stone?

Answer 5

borgin wanted to buy one of the twin cabinets which were like a transportation equipment