Real Treasure
Everyone gets excited by the idea of finding a treasure of life-changing magnitude. Even real-life treasure hunters spend years trying to find that one big score.
One man, however, didn’t need to travel far to do just that. In fact, he didn’t even need to leave his house. That’s because he discovered a treasure trove right under the carpet.
Mystery
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Most people get to grow up with their whole family around them, listening to the great stories told by their grandparents about the experience and adventures that they had.
Sadly, most of these relatives pass away during our lives and take these secrets and stories with them. One man, however, solved a mystery when discovering a treasure in his grandparents’ house.
Lost In Time
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Reddit user evilenglish made his discovery decades after the family farmhouse was abandoned. In 1997, his grandparents had to move away from the farm due to health issues.
His grandparents decided to move somewhere nearer to healthcare providers. Sadly his grandfather passed away soon after and the farmhouse was abandoned.
Inheritance
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In 2009, evilenglish’s dad sadly passed away as well. This meant that evilenglish was the only connection to his family’s farmhouse in Tennesee.
After discovering the deed to the forgotten property in his inheritance, evilenglish put off dealing with it as long as possible but eventually faced the fact that he would need to take care of his grandparents’ things.
Planning
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Eventually, he made arrangements to visit the farmhouse. The idea was to clear out the contents before restoring the house. Once that was done he would put it on the market.
He knew the work would take weeks at least but when he arrived he saw the true scope of what would need to be done.
Hard Work
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The wooden structure of the house had started to rot already and the house seemed likely to collapse at any moment. Evilenglish set to work and after a few days, it seemed like he was making some progress.
As he continued to work he remembered something about the house and suddenly he began to look at the house in a new light.
Memory
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As he worked he would hold the objects in his hands and think back to the stories he had been told about each one. Memories of his grandmother reading to him flooded back as he held an old copy of Treasure Island in his hands.
As a child, listening to her reading that book to him always made him dream of finding treasure himself.
Hidden Treasure
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His grandfather told him many stories as a child. Now thinking back, they may have been tall tales, however. Many of the stories involved his days as a sailor and even included pirates.
As he kept working, however, he started to wonder if his grandfather’s stories may have had more truth to them.
The Closet
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When his work reached the closet under the stairs, he started to get a feeling that there may have been more to the story. Once he had emptied the closet he discovered an old carpet which was in such a bad condition he needed to throw it away.
When he removed the carpet, however, he noticed a round mark on the floor.
The Find
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Now he was really curious. He noticed the handle on the object, making it clear that this was some kind of lid or cap. When he pulled it open it revealed that there was some kind of safe under it.
However, he quickly discovered that the safe was firmly shut. Try as he might, he was unable to open it so he reached out for some help and soon there was a locksmith, Tim, at his door.
The Reveal
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It took several hours but Tim finally managed to get the safe open. At last, they would get to see what secrets it held. Why was it hidden? Evilenglish quickly opened the safe and found it surrounded by water.
He remembered that a pipe had burst and it must have flooded this area.
Collecting Like Mad
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Evilenglish knew his grandparents had always collected various items over the years. His grandfather had always had an interest in pistols and had spent years showing evilenglish his collection. Plus, he had a significant love of sport which was proven with his vast collection of sports memorabilia.
On the other hand, evilenglish’s grandmother was a keen coin collector who had amassed an enormous stash over the years. Evilenglish had spent many years searching for them all around the house.
Digging For Answers
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This couldn’t be all that lay in the safe. Evilenglish began to pull out the bricks to reveal an entire time capsule. It looked as though it was something straight out of the 1930s as one of the first things evilenglish found was a coin book from 1937.
Sadly, the outside was incredibly damaged, but thankfully the layers had protected the coins inside from the water. In fact, they were almost in pristine condition. It was as if they had just been placed in there.
More Confusing Finds
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Evilenglish continued to dig deeper and deeper, but all he could find to start with was a collection of coin books. No one could believe how many had been hiding under the floor all this time. It seemed his grandmother had done more collecting than anyone ever imagined. The books weren’t all that was in the safe.
No, evilenglish soon discovered a variety of coins that had been dumped into the safe along with a collection of water-damaged dollar bills. It kept getting stranger.
A High Price Tag
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Although many of the coins were standard issue versions, many pieces in the collection were rare coins. It turned out that even the standard finds could still have a high collector’s value if evilenglish decided to sell them. In fact, they were now worth much more than just their face value even after being submerged in the water for so many years.
It looked as though evilenglish had stumbled upon a gold mine, but could he really sell these items after his grandparents spent all those years collecting?
Another Addition To The List
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Evilenglish soon discovered there were more than just silver coins in the safe. It turned out his grandfather had also done some collecting of his own – there were a number of pure silver bars. To top it off, the silver looked pristine. Evilenglish knew they could be worth a small fortune, especially as they had been protected in their boxes.
Many of the bars had even been engraved with markings that showcased their true history. Evilenglish was holding onto a piece of the past.
A Wrench In The Works
As evilenglish continue to enjoy all the finds in the safe, he suddenly found something pretty confusing. There was an old box, but it has completely rusted over. Although evilenglish figured it must be an old toolbox, he wondered what it was doing down here with the other collections. It looked entirely out of place.
Perhaps there were some valuable tools his grandparents wanted to protect? Whatever was inside, it must be completely ruined by now judging by the outside.
Revealing The Secret
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Evilenglish soon managed to pry open the box and find the answers to his questions. It wasn’t filled with tools at all, but instead held a ton of jewelry and pocket watches. Although some of the contents had been affected by the water, most of the pieces were still in good working order.
Evilenglish knew his grandparents must have spent many years collecting everything to fill their secret safe. He just wondered why they had never spoken of their hidden treasures.
Turning To The Internet
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The family soon all joined in to haul out piece after piece. It wasn’t long before they were left with the bottom of the safe which looked as though it was lined with a ton of loose coins. These must have been the standard ones not worthy of being in a case. Evilenglish was amazed by the finds but had no idea where to start.
It was time to turn to social media once more. It had been there to document the journey, and now it was time to ask for their help.
Offering Up Advice
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Evilenglish uploaded his finds and asked if the people of the internet would be able to help in any way. Many other users came forward to offer their opinions on the water damage. Some even offered up ways evilenglish might be able to save many of the pieces and restore them to their former glory.
Others had bad news. Some social media users admitted that some of the items might be so severely damaged they would no longer be worth anything to anyone.
Preserving The Memories
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Evilenglish knew they he wanted to keep some of the coins. After all, his grandmother loved looking through her coin collection, and the pair had spent hours searching for new additions and checking over the finds when evilenglish was a youngster. They were the perfect way to remember his late grandmother.
However, evilenglish needed a way to preserve the coins and get them back to their former glory. It was the least evilenglish could do for his grandmother.
Spit And Polish
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Many people were quick to offer help and advice to evilenglish on how to get the coins back to looking their best. All he needed to do was clean them off, and they would soon be back up to their top value once more. However, evilenglish still had no idea if he was going to sell any of the collection.
Little did any of the family know they had been standing over such an extensive collection hidden underneath this house the entire time.
Yet another mystery
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Evilenglish continued to clear through the rest of the house. After all, the family still needed to get it ready for the real estate agent. He was soon joined by his brother when the pair made another discovery. Evilenglish had believed the secret safe was the only mystery they would find in the home.
Little did they know there was another safe hiding in plain sight. It turned out their grandfather had a safe installed in the coffee table. It was time to break it open.
Extreme Find
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The safe was filled with their grandfather’s pistol collection and even more money. Only this time they weren’t just any dollar bills, but were, in fact, Barr notes. These special notes were extremely rare as Joseph W. Barr was once the Secretary of State. However, he was only in the position for 29 days.
It turned out evilenglish’s grandfather had been able to get hold of the notes and keep them safe. Now, they were holding some of the rarest currency in the nation.
Learning Their Value
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People all over social media continued to comment on evilenglish’s photos as they gave their opinion on the items’ worth. It turned out that some of them were worth thousands of dollars while others only had a sentimental value that meant nothing to anyone outside of the family. Now, evilenglish just needed to decide if he wanted to sell the finds or keep hold of it all.
He had plenty of offers and knew it would be easy to find new owners for many of the pieces.
Sadness Turned Into An Adventure
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Evilenglish never knew how clearing out his grandparents’ house could soon turn into one of the biggest adventures of his life. He had finally achieved his dreams of finding his own Treasure Island after all these years, and in the house he had imagined the whole tale in the first place.
It was almost too good to be true. Now, the family could enjoy looking back at the entire collections that had made their late family memories so happy for so many years.
Something To Remember Them By
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It’s hard to imagine how evilenglish, and then later his brother, must have felt when they found their grandmother’s collection, and then their grandfather’s collection on top of that. When we lose people who were close to us, physical objects are some of the things that help us remember them in that initial period when the grief is still being processed.
Holding on to something tangible, then, is a way of feeling close to that person. In that sense, the two safes really were treasures – but not in the financial sense.
A Real Dilemma
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Sentimental value aside, it was clear evilenglish had items with serious worth on his hands. Collectors go wild in bidding for a piece they simply have to have, and a big windfall might be in the family’s future – if they decided to sell. This was a serious dilemma. On the one hand, there was big money to be made.
On the other, these heirlooms belonged to his beloved grandparents, and were collections they’d dedicated time and passion to. Would they have liked for them to be sold off like that?
Letting Go Of The Past, Looking To The Future
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While we certainly have never met evilenglish’s grandparents, we might be able to suss out what they’d be thinking in such a situation. Grandparents want nothing more than for their family to be happy and secure, both financially and otherwise, and often do everything they can to make sure that happens while they’re still alive.
When they pass, it’s unlikely for these sentiments to change. If they could know evilenglish or a member of his family could somehow improve their lives, they would probably condone selling off their prized collections.