The recent popularity of shows like Storage Wars and Pawn Stars has suddenly gotten people really into digging up old treasures from neglected rooms of the house. More than likely, most of you will discover nothing more antennas from old TVs and a couple cranky raccoons in your empty rooms.
However, it might still be worth looking. These people below found some absolutely insane things in their attics. Some of those finds were valuable, some just down right creepy. So grab a flashlight, we’re going exploring!
Hitler’s Record Collection: Alexandra Besymenskaja was looking for a badminton racket in her father’s basement when she stumbled upon a stack of records labeled, ‘Führerhauptquartier’, which was the name of Adolf Hitler’s headquarters. Apparently Besymenskaja’s father was a captain of the Russian military intelligence unit and decided to take a musical souvenir from the captured Reich Chancellery.
Cash, Money: Josh Ferrin had just became a home Bountiful, Utah (a fitting name) and when he began searching the rooms of the new house, he quickly found a secret attic in the ceiling. It apparently held some old WWII ammunition cases and a bunch of rolled bills. The total amount of cash ended up being $45,000. To set an example for his kids he decided to return the money to the family.
A Long Lost Masterpiece From Vincent Van Gogh: A Norwegian man found the elusive ‘The Sunset At Montmajour’ in his attic in 1991, about 100 years after the troubled artist killed himself. The man originally thought the painting to be a fake because it was unsigned, but using x-ray technology it was revealed to be an authentic Van Gogh.
A Gift From A Russian Czar: When New York art gallery owner George Davis died, his executor found this Faberge figure stashed in his attic. After some research he found that the statue was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II himself, as a gift for his wife Alexandra. When the doll was auctioned off it went at $5.2 million dollars.
Martin Luther King’s Lost Interview: Steven Tull was going through his father’s attic in Nashville when he came across a tape labeled, ‘Dr. King Interview Dec. 26, 1960’. When he played the tape it turned out to be a interview with Dr. King by Tull’s father, who was an aspiring author, dedicated to writing a book about the civil rights movement.
The Original Manuscript To Huckleberry Finn: In one of her grandfather’s old trunks, librarian Barbara Gluck Testa found one of the most famous authors in America’s manuscript to one of the most famous novels of all time. Twain usually dictated his work so this handwriting is probably that of one of his assistants or his wife, but still, Tom Sawyer would approve of her treasure hunting skills.
Ex-Boyfriend: Yup. A woman and mother of five sent her nephew up into the attic to investigate a strange noise. The boy found a sleeping man, who turned out to be his aunt’s old fling. The ex had just recently finished doing time for stealing her truck. The police later found a modified vent he used to spy on her and her family, along with piles of feces of urine. I’m gonna go ahead and assume she didn’t take him back.
First Issue Of Superman: David Gonzalez bought a house in Elbow Lake, Minnesota (seems like the Mid-West is the place to be!) and inside he found a copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman ever. Even with a slight tear on the cover the book sold for $175,000 which is a lot of money considering David’s home only cost him $10,100. (I seriously need to move to the Mid-West.)
A Mummy: Ten year old Alexander Kettler found an actual mummy in his grandparents attic. The mummy was given to his grandfather in the 1950’s as a “souvenir” for his trip to North Africa. (Do the bodies of dead people count as souvenirs?) Upon inspection, the mummy was found to have an arrowhead lodged in its brain.
Quing Dynasty Vase Valued At 70 million: In London a brother and sister climbed up into their deceased parent’s house and inexplicably found a relic from the Jiangxi Province in China. Again, why aren’t people telling their families about these sorts of things?
Grenades: This past March four live hand grenades were found in a Milwaukee home. Maybe in addition to confiscating the weapons the police could have also investigated the last owners of the house, please?
This has inspired me to take a look at my parent’s old attic. The chore of spring cleaning may end with finding something extremely valuable. I doubt I’ll find anything worth millions, but at least it’d be pretty rad to see my old roller blades and stuff. That’s my kind of treasure.
