Tuesday, November 11, 2008

LOOKING FOR TREASURES AT HOME

If you don't find any valuable papers or money in Grandma's books, try slitting the paper dustcover on the back of the paintings and prints hanging on the wall. The elderly will often hide money in places like that. Also look for money taped to the bottom of bureau drawers. Hiding valuables under the mattress seems to have gone out of style.

6 comments:

Meilie Moy-Hodnett said...

You are right about the secret hiding places. After my grandmother past away the family had to go through her stash of "stuff" and I ended up selling many of her personals that no one wanted such as her handbags, old glass Christmas ornaments and other odds and ends. After three hours of flea market sales I had everything going for 25 cents to get rid of things so I could go to the beach, as the parking lot of a stadium is not the most scenic part of Hawaii. A lady came up to me after fishing through the box of handbags and had multiple tiny pieces of 24kt. gold jewelry parts that my grandmother threw in there for safekeeping. To my dismay she paid 25 cents a piece. I could have reniged the sale, but was too stunned that the family and I had missed these. I let her purchase the items as I did appreciate her honesty in showing me the parts as they were so small I would not have noticed them if pocketed.

Thank you for continuing your wonderful and informative website and e-mails. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

Meilie Moy-Hodnett said...

You are right about the secret hiding places. After my grandmother past away the family had to go through her stash of "stuff" and I ended up selling many of her personals that no one wanted such as her handbags, old glass Christmas ornaments and other odds and ends. After four hours of flea market sales I had everything going for 25 cents to get rid of everything so I could go to the beach, as the parking lot of a stadium is not the most scenic part of Hawaii. A lady came up to me after fishing through the box of handbags and had multiple tiny pieces of 24kt. gold jewelry parts that my grandmother threw in there for safekeeping. To my dismay she paid 25 cents a piece. I could have reniged the sale. I was too stunned that the family and I had missed these. I allowed her to purchase the items as I did appreciate her honesty in showing me the parts as they were so small I would not have noticed them if pocketed.

Thank you for your wonderful and informative website and e-mails. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Another unusual hiding place was in my Great Aunts house. When they started tearing down the house they found that many of the doors had holes drilled into the tops and coins were stacked into these holes. Both Silver and Gold pieces some as old as the mid 1800's.

Unknown said...

My widowed,childless Great-Aunt lived in a residential hotel near my grandparents. After her death they found currency rolled into paper towell rolls, under the ironing board cover and in a stack of newspapers. Many years later we were again sorting through her remaining belongings and I noticed a slit in the backing of a framed photo. Inside were several notes from a family owned Federal Bank in Kansas, now worth many times face value. We also found notes under the lining of a jewelry box.
What did we sell or give away?

Anonymous said...

My brother and his wife were clearing out her mother's home in New Jersey, and when they pulled down the kitchen shades all of this paper money fell out! She also had stuffed rolls of money down in the cushions of the recliner she sat in most of the day! You never know!!!!!
MTT - Clearwater,FL

Anonymous said...

In 1979, I purchased a lovely big old decorative chest of drawers from a neigborhood garage sale. We used this piece for many years. When we moved down South, I noticed something rattling in the back of it. Sure enough, the entire back of the chest could easily be unscrewed and inside was a 14K gold medal. It must have been a hiding place for valuables and somehow this small piece had been missed. I love this old chest even more now that I know its secret.