What began as an afternoon of DIY quickly turned into the discovery of a mysterious hidden fortune. And you won’t believe just what this lucky man and his family unearthed!

Images: Imgur/branik12 / — Images: Imgur/branik12

We all talk sometimes about needing to get work done around the house, but we almost always find ways to avoid it. After reading this story, however, you’ll be more eager than ever to start tearing up those old floorboards. Because this is a story of hidden treasure discovered at home, and it certainly beats finding a few nickels down the back of the couch.

On October 19, 2016, Imgur user “branik12” shared his amazing discovery with the online community. The 35-year-old DIY enthusiast was finally getting around to revamping his family home. And, as he’d already finished the first and second floors of his property, he decided it was high time to modernize the cellar.

Images: Imgur/branik12 / — Image: Imgur/branik12

So, heading down below, branik12 began peeling back the walls of his 1940s property. At first, there wasn’t much to see – just a few random names and faces scribbled on the wall. Perhaps the children of a previous owner, making their mark?

Images: Imgur/branik12 / — Image: Imgur/branik12

In any case, next up was tackling the basement ceiling. Of course, pulling out all of the material to reveal the original beams created a whole lot of mess. But out of the imploding dust cloud, something hidden in one of the wooden panels caught branik12’s beady eye.

Images: Imgur/branik12 / — Image: Imgur/branik12

Yes, carefully tucked away between two beams was a green and gray tin box. And while obviously itching to find out what it contained, branik12 was also keen to share his discovery online. Writing on Imgur he reported, “Cool! A treasure. I must document this for Imgur. It’s about time I contributed to the community.”

But what was inside the dusty box? And would its contents actually contribute to his life in some way? Well, removing the mysterious object from the beams, he took it outside for closer inspection. He was soon joined by his wife, too, and the curious couple made a breathtaking discovery that would change their lives forever.

Tied together by a piece of string, the box was in almost perfect condition. It did, however, have some wear and tear on the handle – perhaps from the previous owner carrying it around? At this point, though, the couple didn’t care. They just wanted to know what was inside.

But, somewhat oddly, branik12 then decided to search his home for a banana. No, his new discovery hadn’t made him suddenly hungry. In fact, he was trying to find another object to place aside the box for a size comparison. Unfortunately, though, he only managed to find what looks like a baby-sized banana toothbrush. Still, it helped him to document the whole process.

Anticipating its contents, branik12 theorized on Imgur as to what the box would reveal. He wrote, “It has something inside, but not heavy like coins or gold bars. Might get lucky though. Could be old sports cards?” That wouldn’t be a bad discovery: vintage soccer and baseball cards can certainly fetch a pretty penny. Finally, then, he opened the lid.

As he prised open the tin box, he found what appeared to be wax paper covering the secret stash. Most certainly it had been hidden away for ages, perhaps even decades. In fact, as branik12 later explained in a post comment, the first owner of the 1940s house was a lady in her fifties. So could she have left a little something inside the box, packed it away and forgotten about it?

Whatever the case, branik12 found that the contents were wrapped in a sheet of vintage newspaper. Dating from 1951, this page from the Cleveland Plain Dealer featured a ’50s pinup being taught how to bowl with the help of some dapper looking guys. Classic advertising straplines claimed that “a light smoke is better for you” and that “baldness may be prevented.”

Although historically interesting, the newspaper wasn’t actually the star find, however. That’s because behind it lay three packages, each individually wrapped in wax paper. And the green tinge coming through the wax definitely hinted at the prospect of a stack of dollar bills. In fact, branik12 feverishly predicted the discovery on Imgur. He wrote, “There’s money in here! I am a guessing a thousand [dollars] or more! Is that a twenty?”

And, after carefully unwrapping the contents of the first batch, his predictions proved right. Inside was an enormous wad of early-century $20 bills. Supposing that the other two packages contained the same, then, branik12 estimated his potential haul. He wrote, “There may be a couple of thousand here. We are freaking out. This doesn’t happen to us!”

But the couple’s good luck was only just beginning. Unwrapping the next package, they found that it didn’t contain any $20 bills. No, lucky for them, it was in fact full to the brim with $50 notes. And the third batch? You guessed it: a nice chunky wad of $100 bills, all in pretty neat condition. Jackpot!

Amazed, the pair quickly totted up the amount. The final tally? They believed they were sitting on a fortune of around $20,000. Not bad for an afternoon’s work. But then on closer inspection, branik12 realized that all of the bills were early issues, dating from 1928 to 1934. Moreover, some had brown markings on them or were stamped “gold certificate.” Could these be rare? If that were the case, there was a good chance that some bills may actually be worth more than their face value.

So, after spending the following week getting the bills appraised and speaking with lawyers about what to do next, branik12 went back to work in the basement. And just as he thought his excitement was wearing off, he discovered another box tucked away in the ceiling! What were the chances?

And although it was pretty much identical to the first box, branik12 claimed that this one felt a lot heavier. Would this be full of cash, too? First things first, though, branik12 set the box aside and cleared the ceiling to see if there were any more boxes lying around. Alas, this was to be the second and last discovery.

But of course there was more to be revealed anyway. So, after branik12 waiting for his wife to return from work, the pair opened the new box. Again, this one was full of money. Yes, $20 bills were tucked behind yet more vintage newspaper, neatly stacked together and filling the entire space of the box.

Staggeringly, after the couple selling off some of the rarer bills, the total haul came to around $45,000. Of course, the pair posted their story of good fortune on Imgur, too, and while some members – jealous perhaps – thought it could be a hoax, the majority were delighted for the couple. One hilarious member commented, “Nice haul. All I ever found was a dozen dead squirrels and a nasty old lady wig!”

The couple have now paid the money into their bank, and it will go toward repaying their mortgage. They even hope to relocate to a country home in 2017. So, what was perhaps once one ageing lady’s rainy day fund has now changed their lives forever. And while the pair plan to move, the mystery of why exactly the money was originally hidden away will likely remain.