#25. It’s Decided
It was October 2016 when branik12 –user of Imgur, an image-sharing website–, shared a finding he made while trying to refashion his home and that left the internet community speechless. 35-year-old Branik12 is a do-it-yourself master who is probably used to uncovering strange and old items in his ventures. But there’s no way he could’ve imagined that such a treasure was lying on his home!
Branik12 had been living with his wife in the same house for several years. Their house, estimated to have been erected in the late ‘40s, was getting old and in desperate need of renewal. As a result, branik12 decided to get down to giving his home the long-awaited makeover. However, he wanted to do it all by himself, thus avoiding the process of hiring and paying for a contractor.
#24. Let’s Get Down To Work
As braknik12 knew his home needed a complete renewal from top to bottom, he first thought the remodeling process through and the DIY enthusiast came up with a straightforward plan: work his way down starting from the uppermost floor of his home. As you can imagine, the mission was simple yet demanding. Fortunately, he didn’t chance on any major difficulties that complicated the makeover.
When the time came to revamp the basement, he didn’t want to spare any efforts into the task at hand. Braknik12 got down to working in the underground room and didn’t expect to find anything amusing. Perhaps he thought he would find a dead creepy-crawly here and there or that missing item he had been looking for all these years without knowing where it had disappeared to. But it turns out that his basement had a surprise waiting to be uncovered.
#23. The Basement
Just like any other basement, branik12’s room was conventional, maybe dusty, damp and discolored. The basement might have been neglected for some time, but other than that, there was no hint that the extraordinary could happen.
“I am a 35-year-old do-it-yourselfer so I had remodeled everything on the first and second floors when it came time to remodel the basement,” branik12 commented.
It’s time to deal with the musty darkness, he probably thought. Branik12 knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy-to-achieve task as the basement had been unfinished for years. Still, the DIY expert had to start somewhere so his first task was to peel the walls.
“We peeled back the walls and revealed some random writing and drawings. Nothing too special here,” branik12 shared.
#22. Wall Art
As he peeled the walls, branik12 took notice of the strange markings on the wall. It seemed that the random writings and drawings were all over the basement walls. The questions started to pile up: Who could have left such a cryptic graphic art in crude chalk? Was this the doing of children or was there more to it that caught the eye? Was this a coded message scrawled by an adult?
There were words and images featured everywhere in chalk. Bradnik12 spotted some legible names: Tom, Judy and Nancy, what appeared to be the drawings of people, and a couple of scribbles that resembled swastikas.
“Here it gets a little more strange. Are those swastikas? This place was built in the late 40s?” branik12 started wondering.
#21. The Ceiling
Once the walls were peeled, he then decided to focus on the ceiling. He knew it was going to be a hard task because the ceiling was extremely dusty.
“Time to remove the ceiling now and it blows! There is a good 1/4 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,” he commented.
But he found something hidden in the ceiling. It seemed to be a green, old suitcase partly hidden in the shadows. Branik12 didn’t remember placing such an item away in the rafters. Actually, the case was put away so carefully that he began wondering if the previous owners had hidden it. Had they tried to hide something of value?
What do you think was concealed? Keep on reading to discover the answer!
#20. The Discovery
“I stumbled upon a box in the ceiling. Cool! A treasure. I must document this for Imgur. It is about time I contributed to the community,” branik12 stated.
He proceeded to remove the odd case from the rafters. There was no hint about what the box could be concealing. There was something inside for sure because the case wasn’t light at all. He decided to take the box outside and called his wife.
Branik12 examined the suitcase before thinking about what it could be storing. At first glance, the suitcase was covered in dirt and, in the outside light, he could tell that it had different colors: emerald green, leather brown, and mouse grey. It had a worn-out handle and there was a brown string around the case to keep the contents inside. Nothing out of the ordinary, right?
#19. Imagining The Content
Having given the case an end-to-end inspection, branik12 let his mind run wild and began imagining what type of treasure could be hidden in his box. He already knew the suitcase wasn’t light but it wasn’t heavy either.
“I took the box outside and gathered the wife. It has something inside, but not heavy like coins or gold bars. Might get lucky though. Could be old sports cards?,” he wondered.
The DIY professional waited for his wife to arrive. She inspected the box thoroughly as well. What could there be in this strange suitcase? They were recording every step of this process to share it with the Imgur community to let everyone in on whatever they experienced, be it wonder or disillusionment.
You won’t believe what they did next!
#18. Banana Scale
You and I would’ve probably opened the suitcase without any further ado, but these homeowners wanted to enjoy the unveiling process and took their time. Before opening the box, what else was left to do? Well, they decided to measure the box with a scale and they spent thirty minutes looking for one. And, as you can appreciate it, they found the strangest scale ever.
“Spent the next 30 minutes looking for a banana. This is the best we could find. Deal with it,” branik12 posted.
The suitcase exceeded the size of the banana toy they could find. Once the measuring was done and the pics were taken, branik12 and his wife felt ready to open the box.
What was inside the mystery box?
#17. Opening The Lid
Finally, it was time to do the unveiling. Branik12 removed the string and opened the lid. The moment we all anticipated was here.
“Removing the string. The anticipation is growing. What could it be? About tree fiddy?,” he commented. “Man I am slow. But we gotta get pictures! The imgur community deserves,” he then added.
What was inside? Cash? Cards? Recipes? The moment he opened the suitcase, he found another mysterious wrapping! Whatever this was, the person who had placed it wanted to be both concealed and protected for as long as possible.
#16. Wax Paper
The item was still concealed behind a brownish waxy paper. This wrapping wasn’t completely opaque, but it didn’t allow him to see what the contents of the suitcase were. However, he did notice that there was more than one package.
“The box reveals its secrets! A few packages wrapped in what looks like wax paper,” branik12 stated.
Trying to get to the bottom of the matter, the couple moved the packages to see if there was something else beneath them. And they were right! There was something else hiding at the bottom of the suitcase, apart from the packages.
What do you think they found next?
#15. Cleveland Plain Dealer
They found a newspaper page dated March 25, 1951. At least these homeowners were able to come close to the truth. Whoever placed the suitcase in their basement had done it around the early 1950s. Still curious, branik12 and his wife started to check the newspaper.
“There was a news paper lining the bottom,” branik12 posted.
Although slightly yellowish, the newspaper piece was in very good condition, most likely because of the passing of time. After all, the newspaper had been concealed for almost seventy years!
“Here is the back of the newspaper. Nothing significant in the paper. It may have just been there to protect the other contents,” he commented.
#14. Some Old News
As the do-it-yourself enthusiast suggested, the piece of paper was probably used as a second layer of protection for whatever was stored in the wax paper. Still, it’s interesting to find such a vintage piece in great conditions. Also, it’s fascinating to see what Cleveland folks used to read at that time and what advertisements they saw. Can you believe the prices paid for other goods and services?
When was the last time someone paid $0.98 for a brake adjustment? Do you remember when was the last time a singing girl wrestler bid for a title? Now branik12 and his wife have a piece of local history on their hands. Considering the careful wrapping and the newspaper page, the previous owner of the contents definitely wanted them to be preserved for long.
#13. No More Clues
Before moving on, the couple searched for any other clues. There was nothing else in the suitcase that would help them reveal who hid the case or why. There was no note or date. So they could assume the packages didn’t have an official owner, and it wasn’t something they should be concerned about at this point.
“The paper is dated March 25, 1951. This must be near the time the box was hidden,” he wrote on Imgur.
Don’t you have a feeling that this is a time capsule? Keep reading to find out the truth!
#12. The Odd Packages
So inside the 60-year-old suitcase, there were a total of three packages. When they moved them out of the suitcase and placed them on a table side by side, the couple started to make out what had been so carefully veiled.
Beneath that wax paper, there were stacks of something. Take a close look at the picture above. Are those presidents’ faces? Can you also feel the excitement this couple felt? We certainly do!
“Now I am really interested! this looks green! There’s money in here! I am guessing a thousand or more! Is that a twenty?,” branik12 exclaimed.
#11. Unwrapping The Stacks
Feeling they were about to win the jackpot, the couple slowly began to unmake each package as carefully as possible. Their feelings turned out to be right! The suitcase that had been meticulously hidden had money. But this was more than they could’ve imagined in their wildest dreams. This case was like a bank vault storing more than some wrinkly twenty-dollar bills.
As branik12 and his wife finished unveiling all three packages, they became aware that they were extremely lucky. It’s not as if we found stacks of money piled up at home every day, right? They could’ve never imagined that their own outdated basement was storing such a surprise for them to stumble across one day.
But how much money do you think they found?
#10. Good Ol’ Cash
Knowing that they were dealing with money, branik12 and his wife got down to organizing and counting the dollars. First thing’s first, they laid the money on the table. They couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw all the dollar signs spread on the table. If this were to happen to any of us, we wouldn’t believe it either. We would probably even think that there are cameras hidden somewhere, testing us.
“These are all twenties! There may be a couple thousand here! We are freaking out at this point. This doesn’t happen to us! What do we do? Where are the cameras?,” branik12 exclaimed in awe.
In addition to this, the dollar bills were old. Could it be possible that they were worth more than what the face value amount showed?
#9. Fake Or Real?
Another thought that went through this couple’s mind was that they needed to know what kind of money they were dealing with. Perhaps all those bills weren’t the real thing. Could that suitcase have been hidden by someone who wanted to play a joke on whoever found it? If so, what an elaborate plan!
The more branik12 and his wife looked over the bills, the more they realized that those were the real deal. Apart from the $20 bills, there were several $100 bills. Not a single five-dollar bill. As they had thought, there were probably a couple of thousand dollars! This couple’s luck was in!
#8. Serendipity
This amazing discovery is more than what anyone could have imagined! It’s as if branik12 and his family hit the jackpot in the comfort of their own home.
“The second package didn’t have any twenties. It was all fifties! What is going on here? There could be 5 grand here!. Wait!!!! The third package is 100s!!!! This is out of control!!!,” branik12 commented.
Having unveiled the contents of the three packages, branik12 and his wife focused their attention on each bill. It appeared that some bills were more uncommon than others. There were brown bills, money with gold symbols as well as star notes. Their dates ranged from 1928 to 1934. All things considered, the money may be worth more than branik12 and his wife had thought.
#7. A Hunch
The DIY fan and his wife couldn’t have been happier with the finding. Just in a few hours, their lives were radically changed. Yet, branik12 had a feeling that the basement was still hiding some secrets from them. He resumed his work in the basement a week later.
“After a week, the high wore off and I got back to work on my basement once again,” the Imgur user commented.
As branik12 started to remove the ceiling from the part where he had made the first discovery, he noticed there was something else hidden in the rafters.
“What is this?!? another box! This is amazing!! No way! The first one was unbelievable, not this is just getting crazy!,” the DIY fan stated in disbelief.
What do you think he found this time?
#6. Second Suitcase
Not thinking it twice, branik12 reached for the secret box. This second suitcase was almost identical to the first one. On the outside, it seemed to be an ordinary case. Just like the first one, it was also covered in dust and had the same emerald and grey colors. The handle was also the same. But he realized there was a striking difference.
“The second box is heavier than the first! About twice as heavy! No guessing here, there is definitely cash inside. I can see cash through the vent,” branik12 shared.
It seemed as if this second box contained more valuables than the first one. Perhaps the last box he found had been concealed first and, because whoever had stashed the money noticed that it couldn’t all fit in one suitcase, they ended up storing the remaining cash on the second box.
#5. The Last Box
As excited as he was to open the second suitcase, branik12 decided to wait for his wife to return home. She left work early, for she could not hold her anxiety.
“My wife was at work when I found this one, so I have to wait for her to get home to open it. Hurry!!!!!!!!,” he posted.
As branik12 waited for his wife, he knew he had to finish with the basement’s ceiling first. What if there were any more hidden boxes down there?
“I set the box aside and finished tearing down the ceiling. i had to know if this was the last one!,” branik12 shared.
However, he ran out of luck.
#4. Counting The Money
“After finishing the ceiling, this was the last box. Two in total. This one has been cleaned. I sat and stared at and cleaned my precious for hours waiting for my wife to get home,” the do-it-yourself expert explained.
Once his wife arrived, the couple started counting the money. Bills overflowed from the second suitcase, so they knew there was more money in this one than in the previous suitcase.
“The wife is here now, so lets open this thing up! More news papers, 1951 again,” branik12 commented. “Its cash again!! and lots of it! We are seriously freaking out right now! Are these all 20s, 50s, or even 100s?,” he added. “The second box was almost all 20s. Here is the total haul. Had some more rare bills to sale,” branik12 posted.
There were over $10,000 in display on their table.
#3. Legal Issues
Even though they counted all the money bills, they didn’t know if the amount they would receive for all that cash would be the same as the face value stated on such papers. Thus, the homeowners spent the next hours preparing an inventory and doing some online research. Furthermore, they didn’t know if they were going to encounter any legal problems.
To ensure that they were on the right path, branik12 and his wife contacted a lawyer. After all, they needed to know if the cash had been obtained legitimately or not and if they were the actual owners.
“Once the legal stuff was taken care of I decided to continue with the plan to post to imgur,” branik12 confirmed.
#2. Appraisal
Apart from the legal aid, the spouses needed to know about the bills and special papers they found. The happy couple knew that they had $10,000 in their hands but how much were the special papers worth? As a result, they got in contact with an expert to have the money appraised.
In total, they received $45,000, once they sold the rare dollar bills. To answer some questions about the bills, branik12 confirmed the following:
“(…) they were double appraised and the notes of value were sold about 20 had value over the face value plus grading cost. about 10 were worth about 4x face value.”
Don’t you think they hit the jackpot?
#1. Future Plans
What now? Branik12 and his wife made a small fortune out of the blue so it’s logical to consider how they were going to spend it. Maybe finish renovating the home? Perhaps buying a new house? They could have also put it in a bank account or even invest it. What about buying a luxury car or taking a trip to an exotic destination?
After all the asking, the couple confessed the following:
“This was a wild ride for us and I hope you all enjoyed it too. We are boring people and have been dumping our extra money to pay off our mortgage and that is where this money will go too. (…)*minus taxes. We should be all paid off in 2017 and will be able to move to the country.”
That was a very wise choice! Now, apart from having each other, they have a renovated home and a fully paid-off mortgage.