Awesome - Man Finds Hidden Treasure under Carpet at Grandparents’ Neglected Farmhouse
Two decades after his grandparents passed on, the guy in our story discovered that he inherited a farmhouse from his deceased family members. The Reddit user, who we will refer to as “Eric,” had no idea that there was a hidden treasure in the property. When he finally decided to clean up the place for sale, his life took a significant turn.
They Left Behind a Huge Secret
When Eric lost his grandparents, he was devastated. He loved them very much, and the farmhouse he inherited meant a lot to him. It took him a while to clean the place because he was yet to heal from the loss.
In the process, the young man came across a few clues that led him to make a significant discovery, something that he never saw coming. Funny enough, it showed up in the most unexpected place, under a worn carpet.
Years of Neglect
Our houses can accumulate a lot of dust when you don’t clean them daily, so you can imagine how this farmhouse was looking like after being abandoned for decades.
Nobody had lived in the house since 1997, implying that twenty years had passed since someone touched it. It turns out that the reason for its neglect adds to the tragedy of this story.
Illness Made Them to Leave Everything Behind
The reason why Eric’s grandparents were forced to leave the farmhouse in Tennessee in 1997 was that a disease hit them.
The grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer, and the couple decided to relocate to a place where they could access medical care easily. Eventually, he succumbed to cancer, and his grandmother decided not to return to their old home. That was only the beginning…
More Family Tragedy
Over the years, Eric’s family had more misfortunes. Not only did the grandmother pas on, but also his father.
Eric says that the dad passed away in 2009, and since none of the relatives had an emotional bond with the farmhouse, he got to keep it. However, Eric never went there because he had no reason to. There was only one thing that connected him to the house…
Eric Wanted to Sell the Place
Our main character knew that maintaining the farmhouse was too costly, and the only thing that made sense was to sell it. Like any other buyer, Eric visited the farmhouse to prepare it for sale.
One foot through the door and he knew there was a lot that needed to be done before the house reached the right standard fit for sale. Eric couldn’t even think of advertising the place in its current state.
Time to Clean
Eric knew that nobody would purchase the farmhouse before cleaning as it was filled with mildew, cobwebs, and dust. The place looked like it would collapse at any moment. So, Eric started making the much-needed adjustments.
After a few days, Eric finished clearing up the house. Halfway into the exercise, he recalled something about his grandparents.
His Grandparents Loved Treasure
While cleaning the place, Eric remembered how much his grandparents were found of treasures. The grandfather was once a sailor who even encountered pirates!
He recalled how the grandparents would read “Treasure Island” to him in the same house. It seemed like the couple into keeping treasure. Considering this fact, Eric knew that the grandparents must have hidden some items in the farmhouse.
First Stop? The Closet
Eric now started searching the house for any clue of a treasure that the grandparents might have hidden. He figured that they might have wanted to leave behind wealth for their kin. His first stop was the closets.
Our character started by checking one of the closets. On opening the doors, Eric couldn’t spot anything of importance. However, at second glance, things looked different.
Next Stop? The Carpet
After hunting the closets without much success, Eric was disappointed with the result. He then noticed that he was standing on an old carpet, and knew that he had to remove it because it didn’t smell nice.
While standing on that spot, Eric realized that the surface felt hard. He was sure that it couldn’t be only the floorboards that were causing the place to feel that tough. So, he decided to check…
Something is underneath
Eric knew that there was something below the carpet that was causing it to be hard. He had no idea that what had started as a regular clean-up day was about to become one of the best days of his life.
As he started tearing the carpet away, he noticed that something was lying beneath. The young man scratched his head, wondering what it could be.
Strange Concrete Slab
This is the moment where things took a considerable turn for Eric. As he stared at the strange-looking structure for a while, he knew that the item was placed there because the grandparents didn’t want it to be located quickly.
However, it was covered in concrete, and opening it was a significant challenge. Anything sealed with cement is likely to be a hidden secret.
Could it be a Safe Box?
At first, Eric didn’t know what the weird slab was hiding under the grandparent’s carpet. In addition to the mystery, it was inside a subtle cupboard, which he initially thought didn’t mean much.
Eric felt that the treasure hidden below the slab was a safe box that his grandparents were hiding. It made sense because it was circular and was lying in the middle of the room.
What Were They Hiding from Him?
By this time, Eric was convinced that the grandparents were hiding something from the world. Considering that they had a strong affinity for treasure, this might have been one of those ways they would use to hide something.
Eric’s grandmother was also into collecting artifacts, while the grandfather loves gathering antique arms. All the same, Eric wasn’t sure what was under the floor.
Mom Confirmed His Theory
Curious to know if anyone was aware of the concrete slab, Eric contacted his family members to find out. His mother seemed like the most appropriate person to interrogate because she was close to Eric’s grandparents.
When Eric talked to the mother, she confirmed that the grandparents had a safe in Florida. She also divulged some information on how to open it.
Dad’s Birthday Is the Combination!
Not only did the mother confirm that there was a safe box in the house, but she also had an idea of how to access it. According to her, the combination of the safe was the date of birth of Eric’s father.
In case that failed to work, the mother advised him to try his dad’s social security number. Now that Eric was sure of the presence of a hidden treasure, all he ought to have done was to unlock the mysterious safe.
He Tried Opening It
Unfortunately, none of the combinations that Eric’s mother had suggested worked. He was disappointed because he was unable to open the safe despite his resilience.
Eric tried tugging the handle, but nothing was budging. Everything he tried wasn’t working, and it was only after a while that he decided to get professional assistance.
Time to Get a Locksmith
This was one of those few times that Eric had ever used the services of a professional locksmith. He needed to open the safe, and nothing was working, so he contacted an expert.
Unfortunately, it was on Sunday, and most businesses were closed. There was no way a locksmith would be available. Was he ready to wait?
Mission Impossible?
Despite the long wait, Eric knew that he didn’t have much choice. When Monday came around, he reached out to a locksmith who went to the farmhouse. According to Eric, the locksmith took half an hour before declaring that the task was seemingly impossible.
It turns out that the locksmith would instead have referred the task to someone else as he didn’t know what he was putting himself into. Despite the challenges, the two managed to breakthrough.
It Was Almost Ready
After struggling for hours on end, both Eric and the locksmith managed to crack the safe open and peruse through its contents. As the locksmith chipped away the concrete, the safe’s opening started to look a lot more like a lock.
It would take a few hours of patience and hard work before they would eventually find what they were looking for.
He Cracked the Code!
After several hours of sweating and waiting, Eric and the expert managed to locate the lock. It isn’t clear whether the locksmith stayed long enough to see the contents.
Eric managed to insert the right code into the code and opened the safe. The moment of truth was finally here. Was the venture fruitful, or did he go through all of that for nothing?
Are Those Books or Boxes?
At first glance, anyone would assume that this is a massive pile of books. On a closer look, though, they would start looking more like boxes than books. At this point, Eric was eager to know the truth.
Were these the antique arms that Eric’s grandfather had been talking about? Could they have been the artifacts that the grandmother held fondly? As he got deeper into the safe, everything became clear.
He Was Unimpressed… At First Glance
When he tried unearthing what was inside the safe, Eric’s hopes were crushed. The once joyous heart had turned into a pit of disappointment. The contents of the safe were only a pile of empty boxes, a few coins, and some books.
On taking a closer look, Eric became excited. He had countless reasons to be excited because he had located something special.
This Book Survived a Flood
As you can see in the photograph, this book is quite damp, thanks to the many years of neglect. It was one of the things that Eric found inside the safe. It turns out that a few years before his grandparents left the house, there was a flood in the area.
Thankfully, the contents of the safe were in good shape and were unaffected by the water.
Extremely Rare Coins
Although Eric was sad to find some wet dollar bills that were damaged by the damp conditions, he was glad to have located some coins. He found them inside the books, and they were well-preserved.
The reason why Eric’s grandparents stored the coins was that they were scarce, and they were right to have locked them up in the safe. However, those were only part of the treasures that Eric discovered that day.
More Money, Less Problems
It so happens that there was more money stacked inside the safe. Although the bills were also damp, they could easily be salvaged compared to the others he found earlier.
All he needed to do was to separate them carefully and dry them with the assistance of a money expert. As Eric dug deeper into the safe, he spotted his most significant discovery yet…
Thousands of Dollars!
As Eric removed the items from the storage, he was shocked to see hundreds of dollars worth of coins. When he looked closer, he realized that they were a lot like thousands of dollars value of currencies. At that point, Eric realized that he was sitting on a goldmine.
However, he wasn’t an expert in rare items, so he decided to consult some people.
What Are These Silver Bars?
Other captivating items that Eric unearthed were these rare silver bars. He was unsure of what they were at first glance, but on taking a closer look, he realized that they were exceptional. The bars had an inscription of dates that Connecticut and two other states were founded.
It was clear that the historical importance of the silver bars was unquestionable, and they were likely to fetch a high price. It seemed like everything Eric removed from the safe was a fantastic piece of treasure.
This Pristine Coin
Although many things inside the safe had experienced tear and wear, others stood the test of time. One of them is this large coin, which was in perfect condition despite its age.
Since it was inside a protective case means that it was likely to last for a long time. While it may have been slightly damaged, it wasn’t noticeable.
Strange Box
At the bottom of the safe box, there was another box that Eric struggled to open. At first, he thought that it was a toolbox but was still eager to review the contents.
After all the effort that he had invested in looking through the items, Eric had no excuse not to check what the box contained. Finally, Eric managed to open the box, and he discovered some extraordinary things.
His Grandma’s Jewelry
Most of the things that Eric discovered in the safe had a high economic value, but this one carried great sentimental value. Upon opening one of the mysterious boxes, Eric came across some of his grandmother’s jewelry.
As it’s expected, Eric felt emotional when he held the same ornaments that his late grandmother adorned when she was young. While these things were already highly valuable, there was one more discovery on the way.
Mysterious Coffee Table
After recovering all those valuables that were hidden in the secretive safe, Eric knew that there could be more things hidden somewhere. That is why he decided not to leave any stone unturned. Sure enough, after looking through every part of the farmhouse, he came across this antique coffee table.
While it looks like a regular old piece of furniture, Eric opened one of the drawers and made another discovery.
Another Safe!
Eric couldn’t believe that there was another safe waiting to be opened inside this normal-looking table. It was turning out to be an exciting week.
Not only did the grandparents hide some treasures in a concrete containment, but they had some more locked in plain sight. While they were kicking back as they watched TV, they knew that some treasure was a few inches away!
“Dangerous” Antiques
It turns out that the second safe contained some of the items we hinted earlier in the article. Although we won’t spell out everything for you, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to pull the trigger if it was loaded.
Eric’s grandfather was a sailor, and so he was a fan of these things. So, what else was inside the second safe?
Barr Notes = Jackpot!
As if the hundreds of notes that Eric found in the first safe weren’t sufficient, Eric was astounded when he came across these dollar bills that bore Joseph Bar’s signature. Barr was treasurer’s secretary for only a month in 1968, which means that only a few of these notes were produced.
After this incredible discovery, the value of Eric’s treasure hunt was about to increase considerably. He now needed to research how to get the most out of these precious items.
Sharing His Story with the World
Eric was not at a point where he felt the need to do something big. At this stage, he was ready to talk about his discovery with the world. He was super proud of everything he uncovered and didn’t hesitate to take photographs of everything he found. Eric then shared the pictures on an online forum known as Reddit.
Not only did he show off his treasure, but he also inquired on their worth and how he could sell them.
Reddit to the Rescue
Eric received an overwhelming response from the online community. Although nobody could specify the value of his treasure, someone mentioned that the Bureau of Engraving and printing might replace the damaged bills.
All he needed was to go to their offices and find out what they can replace.
How much was it All Worth?
It made a lot of sense as to why Eric would be curious to value the contents of his grandparents’ treasure. He was confident that they were worth a lot and that he was standing on a goldmine. Now he just needed to identify their worth.
Although it took some time to establish their exact value, Eric suspected that everything was worth tens of thousands of dollars. Anything that was made before 1964 was ninety percent silver and thus worth more than twenty times the face value of the coin.
“Collector Value”
One Reddit user was determined to assist Eric in knowing the value of his treasure. According to the commenter, who is also a coin collector, coins found in safes are different from others.
It turns out that coins found in safes have collector value, which makes them way more expensive than the face value. This was with regard to numismatics. The commenter also noted that notes could also be seen as collectibles. So, one ought to check everything even if it is damaged as they may attract great value.
Aucun commentaire: