This Man’s Simple Basement Renovation Turned Into A Life-Changing Treasure Find
Reddit user Branik12 is passionate about remodeling and renovating homes. So, when he and his wife bought a fixer-upper home in the greater Cleveland area, he couldn't have been more thrilled.
He was ready to get to work! The thing with projects such as this is that you need to expect the unexpected. And for Branik12, the unexpected came stashed away in the ceiling of his new basement. You'll never believe the treasure he uncovered, something that's been hidden away for over half a century.
Branik12 And His Wife Bought A 1940s House
Thirty-five-year-old Reddit user Branik12 is a self-proclaimed "do-it-yourself home remodeler." So, when he and his wife bought a fixer-upper in the greater Cleveland area, they were very excited.
The home dated back to the 1940s, and there were more than a handful of renovations that needed to happen. But the couple was up for the task, even though they're the first to admit the project was going to take a good amount of time to complete.
It Was Time To Start On The Basement
Getting straight to work, Branik12 and his wife were able to completely redo most of the first and second floor of their new house. They were very excited about what they accomplished, and who wouldn't be? But they still had one more level that needed their attention.
The couple made their way down to the basement, ready to get to work on renovating the space to their specifications. Little did they know that they were about to come across a life-changing treasure.
The Basement Was A Creepy Blank Canvas
To put it mildly, the basement was creepy. The area had cold concrete floors, barely-there windows that gave off the only light, and walls that needed more than a few fresh coats of paint. Thankfully, Branik12 is an optimist and didn't see his horror movie-inspired basement.
Rather, the Reddit user saw a blank canvas. He was beyond excited to get started in the basement, never knowing that he was about to stumble upon something unexpected.
Branik12 Was On The Brink Of A Strange Discovery
One of the "creepy" features in the basement was the aged peeling plaster walls. Branik12 was smart, though, and decided it was a good a place as any to start his project. So, he tore the walls down to expose the cinder block stone behind it.
Once he started, the Reddit user soon discovered that there was more than one secret stashed away in the basement. He quickly made a strange discovery within the basement walls.
There Was Writing On The Wall
As Branik12 began tearing away the old plaster and chipping at stubborn pieces, cinder block stone began to appear. But it wasn't the stone that surprised Branik12. As he peeled more and more of the plaster away, he began to notice something on the stone: writing.
Of course, it could have been the construction workers who wrote instructions on the stone at the time. But Branik12 didn't believe that, so he peeled the plaster further back, exposing something else entirely.
They Didn't Think Too Much Of The Writing
On Reddit, Branik12 wrote, "We peeled back the walls and revealed some random writing and drawings." The writing wasn't organized, but rather a mix of names and random doodles. The couple wasn't entirely sure what to make of the strange etchings.
All they knew was that something felt very off. But Branik12 wasn't going to let the graffitied wall stall his project. So, he got right back to renovating the basement, despite feeling a bit uneasy.
Now, It Was Time To Gut The Ceiling
With the walls removed, Branik12 stepped back to admire his work. Of course, when he imagined looking at his basement after finishing up the walls, he never expected to be surrounded by strange writing and doodles.
They were everywhere! Still, he kept the graffiti in the back of his mind and started on the next phase of the basement renovation. It was time for him to begin gutting the ceiling. Of course, what he hoped to be a quick part of the project didn't exactly go as planned.
This Phase Was Going To Take Longer Than They Expected
On his Reddit account, Branik12 said, "There [is] a good quarter-inch of dust on the ceiling. We put up plastic to keep the dust out of the rest of the house and exposed then patched the air returns first."
Honestly, the couple thought they knew what they were doing with this next stage of the renovation. But something very messy that was going to take more time than they initially expected was about to come up. They had no idea what they were about to find.
Branik12 Spotted Something Between The Pipes
Ironically, Branik12 and his wife thought this remodel was a bit easier than the ones they had done in the past, regardless of the heavy dust and strange etchings. Because the basement was empty and there wasn't much to move, other than two heavy foot-traffic floors, they didn't have much to worry about.
But what they didn't expect was finding something hidden away between the pipes in the ceiling. It was this discovery that had Branik12 stop dead in his tracks.
It Was A Green Metallic Box
While Branik12 was gutting the ceiling, exposing pipes and wooden beams, he noticed something tucked away between the pipes. But the basement was very poorly lit, and he couldn't identify the green object.
So, he hopped off his ladder and grabbed a flashlight to get a better look. When he finally got a good look at the object, he was finally able to place it. Tucked between the pipes in the ceiling was a green metallic box!
He Found Some Sort Of Treasure!
On his Reddit account, Branik12 sarcastically told his followers, "cool; I found treasure!" He'd read so many internet articles about people finding "long-lost treasure" in their homes or even in their backyards that it was hard for him not to joke about the prospect of him stumbling across something amazing.
Even though he was making fun of the situation, Branik12 was overly curious about what was inside the metal container. It must have been stashed up in the ceiling for a reason.
The Box Had Some Weight To It
Without waiting another moment, Branik12 carefully removed the dust-covered box from the ceiling. The dimly-lit basement was no place to open the "treasure," though. So, the Reddit user grabbed his wife and they made their way outside to make sure they had ample light.
Branik12 had no clue what they were about to find in the metallic box, but he was sure there was something inside. The box had a slight weight to it.
They Started Guessing The Contents Of The Box
Unfortunately, Branik12 concluded that the box didn't contain coins or gold bars of any kind because nothing was rattling around inside. But what did that leave? A bunch of letters from way back when? The weight was right for a bunch of letters.
Still having no clue the contents of the box, the couple eagerly began to lift the lid. Of course, Branik12 documented the entire thing, making sure to capture the moment frame by frame.
They Thought Ball Cards Or Recipes Could Be Inside
The couple was having fun guessing what could be inside the old container. While Branik12 believed it to contain old baseball cards, his wife thought it might be a bunch of old family recipes. One thing they seemed to agree on was that it was filled with paper of some kind.
Boy, were they in for a surprise! The couple never would never have guessed what they were about to find stashed away in the old box.
There Were Three Separate Packages In Old Wax Paper
As it turned out, there were three separately wrapped packages inside the box. Each was bundled in old wax paper, so the elements couldn't get to whatever was inside. But before they went to unwrap the three packages, they noticed something else.
There was an old piece of newspaper tucked away in the box from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, dated Sunday, March 25, 1951. Well, one thing was for certain, whatever is in the box has been there since the '50s and most likely hasn't been touched since.
Money, Money, And Some More Money
The couple was growing more and more excited. So, when Branik12 finally unwrapped the first package, he couldn't help but stare at what was in his hands. There, right in front of him, was a stack of dollar bills.
And the stack wasn't just a bunch of one and five dollar bills. The couple really did find a long-lost treasure! Now it was time to unwrap the other two packages to see what else they had discovered.
They Found Thousands Of Dollars In Cash
On his Reddit account, Branik12 said, "These are all twenties! We are freaking out at this point." He and his wife believed that the first package contained at least a few thousand dollars in cash. Unbelievable!
By this point, the couple couldn't believe their eyes, and they still had another two packages to open! Thinking they couldn't possibly be surprised by the contents of the other two bundles after this one, they dove in. And, boy, were they wrong.
The Second Package Contained Another Stack Of Money
The two were already a few thousand dollars richer than they were a few minutes ago, so they didn't expect to find yet another large stack of cash in the second package. Yet, that's exactly what they found after unwrapping the second bundle of old wax paper.
It was ridiculous! Never in their wildest dreams did they ever imagine coming into this type of money. And they did nothing but find it in a ceiling!
Second Package = A Stack Of $50 Bills
On his Reddit account, Branik12 wrote, "The second package did not have any twenties." Instead, the second package held something worth even more. Instead of twenty-dollar bills, the second stack held all fifty dollar bills!
Oh, and get this, the second stack of cash was just as large as the first. Branik12 and his wife stumbled upon a gold mine, and they hadn't even broken into the third and final package yet!
$100 Bills Were Found In The Third Package
Since the first and second packages were filled with cash, Branik12 and his wife thought the third was going to be filled with more of the same. But they never expected to find what they did.
In the third wax-covered package was another stack of cash. But this one was different; it was filled with 100 dollar bills! Branik12 wrote on his Reddit page, "this is out of control!" You could say that again, friend!
Branik12 Thought They Were Game Show Contestants
Branik12 and his wife were in shock. They stood there staring at the unbelievable fortune they found stashed away in the basement ceiling of their new home. It didn't feel real. Things like this didn't happen to people like them.
Branik12 even considered that they might be the un-knowing guests of some weird game show. Little did they know that the third package was just the tip of the iceberg. They were about to learn a lot more about their treasure.
Some Of The Bills Were Rare
Gazing down at his newly-found fortune, Branik12 noticed something. There were some bills that were very rare and probably worth more than what the note actually said. On his Reddit account, Branik12 wrote, "some brown notes, a gold certificate, and some star notes nearly uncirculated."
So, the question now was how much money was the couple looking at here? Originally they thought it was a few thousand, but it seems like they underestimated the bills' actual worth.
They Needed To Find Out If The Money Was Legally Theirs
As it turned out, the bills were all printed between 1928 and 1934, so they were most likely worth way more than what Branik12 expected. The thing was, he'd heard and read about people finding treasure such as this in their homes, but they never explain what they do after they find it.
Was the money legally theirs, or did they need to give it to someone? So, he went to Reddit in search of some answers.
They Contacted A Real Estate Lawyer
With their home renovations put on hold, Branik12 called up one of his friends who just so happened to specialize in real estate. They wanted to know what to do with the money so they didn't get in trouble with the law for some reason.
To their astonishment, their friend said they had nothing to worry about because the money was legally theirs! Now, it was time to find an appraiser, so they could find out how much money they were sitting on.
The Total Came Out To $23,000
After finding someone to take a look at their findings, the couple learned a few things. First, 20 of the bills were above their face value, and ten were worth more than four times their original value! In total, the couple found a small fortune of $23,000 in their ceiling basement.
Someone, their story didn't end there. The couple was only scratching the surface of mysteries their new house had to offer.
It Was Time To Get Back To Work
After about a week, Branik12 said their adrenaline was wearing off, and they had to come back down to reality. And the reality was that their basement was still unfinished and in complete disarray. So, he got back to work.
Starting off right where he finished, Branik12 began peeling away more of the ceiling. And after finally coming back down to Earth, imagine his surprise when he saw yet another box stashed away in the ceiling.
He Had To Make Sure There Were No More Boxes
He couldn't believe his eyes; there was another box in the ceiling! Just to be sure there weren't more treasures hidden up there, Branik12 made quick work gutting the rest of the ceiling. Satisfied that the second box was the last one, he made his way back upstairs.
Now, it was a waiting game because he wasn't going to open the box without his wife, and she so happened to be at work. Finally, she got home, and they were like little kids on Christmas, yet again.
There Was $10,000 In The Second Box!
Inside the heavier second box was yet another stack of old bills. Like the first box, a newspaper clipping from 1951 was neatly tucked inside. But when they peeled the paper away, they noticed something different.
This box didn't have individually stacked packages. Rather, the old bills were vertically placed in the box, an assortment of $20s, $50s, and $100s. The couple counted $10,000 in total. But that wasn't including the rare bills that were in the mix! It was time to get their find appraised.
The Total Amount They Found Was $45,000
As they did the week before with their first finding, the couple went to Google to research some of the rare bills. Then, they made their way back to the appraiser to see how much money they were actually dealing with.
As it turned out, the first and second treasure combined was worth $45,000! The couple couldn't believe they found such a treasure stashed away in their old home's basement ceiling.
They're Saving The Money For Their Mortgage
In a follow-up Reddit post, Branik12 explained that their findings are safe in the bank and that they plan to use the funds to pay off their mortgage. With the amount they found, the two believe they'll be able to pay it off fairly quickly.
They plan to relocate to the country. Here's to hoping the two decide to renovate their new countryside home. As they very well know, who knows what they might find hidden away!
The Farmhouse Was Neglected For Years
Reddit user EvilEnglish was very close to his grandparents growing up. So, when they passed away, and he was asked to clean out their neglected Tennessee farmhouse, he accepted.
It had been a solid 20 years since anyone has been to the house, let alone touched it or made renovations. The young man had no clue he was about to make the discovery of a lifetime in this long-empty house.
Easier Access To Medical Care Was Why They Left
It's sad because his grandparents wouldn't have left their farmhouse if his grandpa hadn't been diagnosed with lung cancer. To be closer to a medical center and their family, they decided to leave the farm in 1997.
After the grandfather passed away, EvilEnglish's grandma never returned to the beloved house they had shared for so many years. Eventually, she passed away, too. With no emotional connection to the house, the grandson kept putting off visiting the property, until now.
His Endgame Was To Sell The House
It was going to cost EvilEnglish too much money to maintain and keep the farmhouse. So, there were two options: demolish the home or sell it. He chose the latter. The only problem was that no one had set foot inside the farmhouse in 20 years!
It was dusty, falling apart, and had a serious case of cobwebs and mildew damage. EvilEnglish had some work to do. But he was up for the challenge and ready to get started!
Time To Get Down To Business
Deep down, EvilEnglish knew that there was no possible way he was going to be able to sell his grandparent's farmhouse in its current condition. With all of the neglect, it looked like the house was about to collapse! He was going to have to get down and dirty.
While rummaging through the house and trying to get rid of rubble, EvilEnglish's mind wandered. He remembered fond memories he'd had in this house. And one, in particular, stood out.
His Grandpa Was A Sailor And Loved Treasure
In the middle of cleaning, EvilEnglish began to reminisce about his late grandparents, especially his grandpa. Back in the day, he was a sailor and was even chased by pirates at one point in time! He and his wife used to love reading Treasure Island to EvilEnglish.
That book always made him associate treasure with the farmhouse. So, it makes sense that EvilEnglish began to believe his grandparents had stashed away some type of treasure in the house. He just had to find it.
Treasure Hunting Started In The Closet
With his mind made up, EvilEnglish began thinking about where his grandparents could have possibly hidden treasure in the decaying farmhouse. So, he started where any logical person would -- the closet!
Walking up to the hall closet, he wasn't expecting much. There was hardly anything in the house, aside from dust and cobwebs, after all. So, with his expectations kind of low, he opened the door. EvilEnglish didn't find anything but an old, smelly carpet. But then, everything changed.
The Carpet Was Covering Something
After seeing that the closet was empty besides the old mildew-ridden carpet, EvilEnglish couldn't help but feel mildly disappointed. Then again, he was in the old farmhouse for a reason. So he was going to have to take care of the carpet sooner or later.
He decided sooner was best, considering the smell. As he began to rip up the carpet, he noticed something hidden underneath. He scratched his head, having no clue what it could be. Then it hit him.
He Began To Remove The Carpet
After he realized there was something underneath the grimy carpet, he began to remove it. For EvilEnglish, what started as an average day (well as 'average' as restoring a neglected farmhouse can be), turned into a mystery.
As he suspected, as he peeled away the carpet, something began to take shape. What was it? Well, he wasn't going to stop there. EvilEnglish was now on a mission to remove the entire carpet and expose the secrets below.
The Object Underneath The Carpet Was A Safe
Once the entire carpet was removed, EvilEnglish stepped back and stared at the exposed object for a while. He couldn't make heads or tails of it; what could it possibly be? The ground around it was dug carefully, so the object slid into it seamlessly.
Then, a carpet was thrown over it so no one would find it. There was only one explanation; the object was some kind of safe. Unfortunately, it was covered in concrete. But, to EvilEnglish, that meant one thing: it was harboring something important!
He Wanted To Know What Was In The Safe
EvilEnglish had no idea what was inside the safe, but he was willing to bet it was something extraordinary. His grandparents had an affinity for old treasures, after all. While his grandpa liked to collect antique "arms," his grandmother loved old artifacts.
There could be some priceless gems hidden in the concrete safe! Now the question was, how was he going to open it? And what if he spent hours trying to open it and nothing was there?
Time To Call Mom
Not wanting to waste his time trying to crack open the concrete safe if there was nothing inside, EvilEnglish called his mom to see if she had any insight. She did! Apparently, the grandparents had a safe when they had all lived in Florida.
But that wasn't the only useful information his mother had to share. There was something else she knew, which could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of the safe. EvilEnglish was on pins and needles.
She Knew The Combination
After confirming that the slab of concrete was, in fact, a safe, EvilEnglish's mom dropped another round of knowledge. She knew the combination! She told her son that the combination was most likely her husband, his father's, birthday. And, if that didn't work, try his social security number.
EvilEnglish was thrilled. Not only did he have confirmation that the slab of concrete was a safe, but now he had the means to open it and see what was inside!
The Combinations Didn't Work
After spending some time putting in both combinations, EvilEnglish came to the conclusion that they weren't going to open the safe. He quickly realized that the lock was rusted together, or the two combinations his mom gave him were incorrect.
Either way, he was back to square one. Then, a light bulb went off in his head. If he was ever going to get this old safe open, he was going to have to call in professional reinforcements.
He Called A Locksmith
As EvilEnglish was unable to open the safe by himself, he decided it was time to call in a professional. And what better person to call than a locksmith? Unfortunately, he found the safe on a Sunday, so all of the locksmith shops were closed.
He was going to have to wait until Monday. At least he wasn't light on chores to do around the farmhouse. The only issue is that his mind kept wandering back to the safe.
The Locksmith Had A Hard Time
EvilEnglish called a locksmith the first thing Monday morning. Then, he was on his way to the farmhouse to meet up with the man who was, hopefully, going to be the key to opening the safe. It took the locksmith a half-hour to figure out that the mission was impossible.
The professional would normally have referred EvilEnglish to one of his colleagues if he knew how much work the job entailed. But, like EvilEnglish, the locksmith was now determined to get the safe open.
They Worked For Hours
EvilEnglish and the locksmith weren't going to stop until they got the safe open. After struggling for a few hours, chipping away at concrete, they began to see the latch. That meant that they were eventually going to get the safe open; it was just a matter of when.
A few more hours and a lot of patience later, it began to look like they finally found the opening they needed to crack the safe.
They Cracked The Safe!
Fast forward a few hours, and the locksmith managed to find what they needed to open the safe! It's unknown if the locksmith stayed to see the treasure trove inside the safe, but EvilEnglish wasn't wasting any time.
Was he going to find family heirlooms? Or maybe the contents inside the safe were worth a lot of money, and that's why his grandparents hid them away? The only way to tell was to get everything out of the safe and start examining!
Was It Books, Boxes, Or Something Else?
At first glance, EvilEnglish thought the contents were nothing more than a pile of old books. Or maybe they were boxes? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to rule out any possibilities at this time. He had just gotten the safe open, after all!
He began taking the book/boxes out of the safe, and at first, he was a bit disappointed. Where were the antiques and artifacts he thought he was going to find?
He Kept Looking For Answers
As he started to take out the objects from the safe, EvilEnglish's hopes of finding buried treasure began to dwindle as everything was pretty much destroyed. But then he started to look closer at each of the objects, and a new sense of excitement began to wash over him.
There was a vintage coin book that was pretty water damaged, but it was still intact. That meant it survived the farmhouse pipe leak a few years back. There might still be hope for the other objects!
He Found Rare Coins
Unfortunately, there were a bunch of dollar bills that were damaged beyond repair due to the flooding. But there was still much to be excited about! EvilEnglish stumbled upon a collection of rare coins in the safe. They were well-preserved, unlike the bills.
He could safely say that his grandparents had the right idea locking the coins up. But EvilEnglish was only scratching the surface of the safe. There was still more treasure to be found!
Money And More Money
It turned out, as EvilEnglish dug deeper and deeper into the safe, there were more bills. These were damp, but not as damaged as the previous ones he found. He believed that, with some professional help, he'd be able to salvage a few.
Then, getting closer to the bottom of the safe, he found something remarkable. It seemed as though the treasure just kept getting more grandiose the further he dug! You won't believe what was at the bottom.
Thousands Of Dollars In Coins
Toward the bottom of the safe, EvilEnglish believed he'd found hundreds of dollars worth of rare coins. But upon closer inspection, he concluded that it was closer to thousands of dollars!
He's no coin expert, so he was going to have to get a referral and ask a professional how much the coins are worth. But the treasure didn't stop there. EvilEnglish was about to stumble upon something he'd never seen before.
Silver Bars With Historical Inscriptions
Another thing that EvilEnglish came across were silver bars. Unsure of what they were at first, he soon learned their significance. Each of the bars was inscribed with the state names Connecticut, Deleware, and Massachusetts, along with their founding date. He figured they were rare bars, due to their historical significance.
But, like the coins, he was making assumptions and wanted to get a professional's opinion about the artifacts' worth. But the coins and bars weren't the only things EvilEnglish found.
A Strange Box
With all of these findings, EvilEnglish was on cloud nine. The thing is, with all of the rare coins, dollar bills, and historical silver bars, he never would have guessed that the last item he'd take from the safe would pull at his heartstrings.
The final thing he took out of the safe was an overly rusty box. Now, he was no stranger to opening things! So, after some time and persistence, he opened the box.
Grandma's Jewelry
What he discovered inside pulled at his heartstrings. The contents of the old box were some of his grandmother's priceless jewelry. And while the pieces weren't historically significant or worth much, they held plenty of sentimental value.
EvilEnglish was very emotional, holding his grandmother's jewelry. But while he was doing so, something was nagging him. If his grandmother's things were hidden away in this safe, then where were his grandfather's antiques? Surely, there was another safe hidden in the farmhouse.
The Coffee Table Was Next
After putting away the treasure he found, EvilEnglish began to search the rest of the farmhouse. Who knows, maybe there was another safe here that held some of his grandfather's things. He was going to leave no stone unturned, stripping the entire house if need be.
Hey, he had to renovate anyway, right? That's when he noticed a rotting coffee table with a few drawers. Thinking he had nothing to lose, he opened one of the drawers.
Another Safe With "Dangerous" Antiques
There was a safe hidden away in the coffee table! Thankfully, EvilEnglish was able to open the second safe without the help of a locksmith. Once he cracked the safe open, what he found inside wasn't that big of a surprise.
The safe contained some of his grandfather's antique arms, objects that EvilEnglish was curious about because he didn't know their location. But that wasn't the only thing he found in the coffee table safe.
Bills With An Important Signature
With his grandfather's antiques, the rare coins, silver bars, and his grandmother's jewelry, EvilEnglish was about to have a nice payday. Then, he stumbled upon something that was about to increase his find's total worth.
In the second safe, he found dollar bills with Joseph W. Barr's signature. For one month in 1968, Barr was the Secretary of the Treasury. Because of his short term, not many of these notes were produced, making them very valuable.
Asking The Online Community For Help
Proud of his grandparent's valuables, and his treasure hunting skills, EvilEnglish went to the internet. He took pictures of all of his findings and posted them to Reddit in hopes of getting some answers. Most importantly, did anyone know the value of everything?
The online community wasn't too helpful, although they thought his findings were very cool. But there was one Redditor that had a useful bit of information. If he wanted to replace the damaged bills, he should visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
How Much Was Everything Worth?
While that information was useful, EvilEnglish still wanted an exact value for the items. He figured he was standing on a goldmine and that everything probably totaled thousands of dollars. "Anything from 1964 or older is 90% silver worth about 20 times face value of the coin," he said.
Then, there was one Reddit user that clued him in on collectors value, saying that coins found in a safe have a value separate from the face value. Either way, EvilEnglish is going to have a nice payout!
