Home remodeling projects are often challenging. It’s time-consuming. It can be expensive. And such projects often come with a lot that can go wrong; it’s a pretty stressful endeavor, too. So, we understand why Imgur user branik12 from Cleveland, Ohio took years to transform his family home in 2016.
Among his final projects was the basement. And the do-it-yourselfer was right on schedule until he came upon something strange. Is it a box? A suitcase? Something more sinister? Whatever it is, you’re lucky he documented everything so you can see his findings for yourself.
A Decades-Old House
Before we show you what branik12 and his wife found in their basement, here are a few things you should know about their home. It was built in the late ’40s, and in addition to the basement, it has two other floors, which the couple had also renovated over the years after moving in.
As you can imagine, the old house has its quirks. The man discovered this in the early stages of his project. Peeling back the layers, he was greeted by a stone wall with a lot of writing on it. Looking closer, he could decipher the scribbles.
Scribbles on the Basement Walls
A lot of the graffiti seemed harmless enough. Along with faded drawings, names like Tom, Judy, and Nancy were written in white chalk, perhaps the product of the past owners’ children. Nothing to write home about... or so he thought.
A small portion of the wall featured what appeared to be swastika symbols drawn with the same white chalk. Associated with Nazis, the ancient symbol featured prominently during World War II, which ended years before the house was built. But that wasn’t the strangest thing branik12 encountered. Not by a long shot.
Something Tucked in the Ceiling
Unfazed, the man continued on his home remodeling project. He got ready to remove the basement’s ceiling next and even laid out some plastic to catch the thick layer of dust that had formed there. Already a bit stressed about the task at hand, branik12 got a jolt of excitement when he spotted something.
Is it a box? A large tin can? What he knew for sure is that it must be something interesting. So, he got out his camera and decided to document the discovery to share later on Imgur, an image-sharing online community. He even staged the way he found the item to better illustrate his story for curious netizens.
The Man Brings His Finding to the Light
Retrieving the hidden object, the man soon realized that the box had something inside. Excited about the contents, he immediately brought it out to get a better look at it with his wife. Despite the layer of decades-old dust, it was noticeable that the box was green.
What’s more, it was secured shut with some fiber and a metal clasp like the ones seen in suitcases. It was safe to say that it was just like a hidden treasure waiting to be opened after a long time of lying in the basement.
What Could Be Inside?
By that point, branik12’s mind was running a mile a minute thinking about what the box might have in store for him. Surely, it isn’t gold bars or coins. The container was definitely not heavy enough to have those things inside. But he remained confident he might get lucky with its contents.
Could it be vintage sports cards? People collected and still collect those as a hobby. And if they’re old enough, they could be worth a fortune now. Or could the contents be something completely different and even more sinister? After all, other homeowners have found worse things while renovating.
A Horrific Discovery In Another Ohio Home
Branik12 doesn’t have to look far to find an example of a home DIY project gone wrong. Just an hour away from their Cleveland home, another couple discovered something unexpected after tearing down their living room wall. The West Salem residents found what turned out to be ten pieces of human bones.
James and Emily Given’s home was also an older one, with the remains being found in an addition built in the early ‘50s. The couple’s nightmare didn’t end there, though, as the police got involved in investigating why and how the bones ended up in their residence.
Home Renovation to Police Investigation
An official determined that the remains belonged to a man who was in his early 20s and that the bones were around 50 years old at the time. What’s more, it was suspected that he was killed, because his hands were missing. Perhaps the person who hid his remains didn’t want him identified through fingerprints.
Worse, the police found a bloodstained bag upon checking the same home’s attic. Although we’re unsure whether branik12 knew of this sordid story, it could’ve been a blueprint for his own finding. He and his wife were much luckier than the Givens, as you’re about to find out now.
Just Like Opening Pandora’s Box
About half an hour after getting the green box out of the basement, branik12 finally got to open it. He began by untying the closure, which came undone quite quickly. There’s no turning back now. This could very well be a classic Pandora’s box case with the exciting contents turning out to be something cursed.
Still, there were more optimistic possibilities. Something valuable might be inside, some jewelry perhaps. And if its contents turn out to be something useless, at least he could sleep well, having solved the mystery regardless. So, branik12 unlatched the clasp and peeked inside the tin box.
The Secrets were Finally Revealed
The first thing he saw was wax paper—lots of it. The material was seemingly used to wrap up the contents of the box. Prodding on, the man soon found a different kind of paper lining the container. Unfolding it, he soon realized that it was a newspaper and an ancient one at that.
It was dated March 25, 1951, which explains its yellowed pages. Branik12 didn’t think much of the newspaper, assuming that its sole purpose was to protect the other contents of the tin box. Still, browsing the pages showed an interesting glimpse of what life was like for the owners of the container.
A Blast from the Past
The 1951 issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was filled with articles discussing local sporting events and advertisements for businesses and events. There was even a notice promoting a Harlem Globetrotters show. But while the basketball entertainers are still active today, the newspaper is not.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer newsroom was dissolved in 2020 after reporting the news for over 170 years. That said, the issue branik12 found might fetch him some cash as a collectible item today. However, it wasn’t the only thing of value that was in store for him.
Seeing Green
With the wax paper being almost transparent, he could see the green color of money peeking through the layers. There were three separately wrapped bundles of what appeared to be paper bills. Looking at all of the contents of the tin box, he estimated that he was staring at over $1,000.
Not bad, huh? Well, the man would soon discover that he came by much more than that. He could see some $20 bills, and the wads of cash were quite thick to boot. There’s only one way to find out how much the treasure is worth.
The Bills Grew Larger
Uncovering the entire first package, he confirmed that it was filled with $20 bills, and things got even better from there. The second package had $50 bills in it! We bet branik12 has never been happier to see President Ulysses S. Grant’s face than at that moment. But the surprises didn’t end there.
The third package was filled with $100 bills! Now he was pretty sure the tin box housed tens of thousands of dollars in total. However, his elation at finding the hidden cash soon made way for tons of questions.
Unbelievable Luck
If you were in branik12’s shoes, you’d probably also wonder who would leave that much hard cash in a basement. Did the previous homeowner perhaps leave it behind on purpose? Did they accidentally leave it there? The man just couldn’t believe his luck.
Things like this simply didn’t happen to people like him. He even wondered when the cameras would come out, believing that these events only happen on set-up TV shows. But no camera crew came out, and he was left with the treasure, thinking of what he should do next.
More Interesting Discoveries Ahead
So, the couple moved forward to take inventory of the bills. That’s when they found out that mixed with the regular bills were rarer ones. They recalled seeing a gold certificate, an older form of paper currency, some brown notes, and star notes, all of which were dated between 1928 to 1934.
It’s worth noting that star notes are paper bills the government releases to replace faulty ones that were printed. The man also described some of the money he found as ‘uncirculated,’ a term used to refer to currency in mint condition. These discoveries would push the couple’s luck even further.
The Couple Moves Forward with Their Treasure
After spending hours Googling, branik12 and his wife finally came up with a game plan. Part of it was to have the cash appraised, and they even ended up having it looked at not just once but twice. This was how they found out that some of the bills are worth more than their face value.
In fact, they got to sell about 20 bills for far more, ten of which were actually worth four times the initial value. Safe to say, they scored considerable earnings after the sale grading costs were accounted for. The work to secure their newfound fortune wasn’t done yet, though.
Getting All of Their Bases Covered
The couple seemed determined to have all of their bases covered as they also got in touch with a friend who's an estate lawyer. This allowed them to clarify and confirm the legalities of coming by a box full of old cash stashed away inside their home.
While branik12 didn’t elaborate on the details, he was pleased to share with the Imgur community that the fortune was his to keep. No strings attached. That is unless the original owner of the box were to come back to claim the property.
The Right Move to Make
But it seems like the person who hid the treasure is not coming back for their box anytime soon. Still, seeking legal advice right away was a smart move to make for the couple. It isn’t unheard of for cases like this to go awry, especially when disputes and the law play into the story.
This is exactly what happened to a different couple and their contractor as they fought over an uncovered fortune in court. The ending to this tale, which also unfolded in Cleveland, should certainly be a cautionary tale for all finders out there.
Two of a Kind Treasures
In 2006, a contractor, Bob Kitts, found $182,000 worth of currency within the bathroom walls of a home he was working on. And we couldn’t believe the similarities between the treasure he uncovered with the one branik12 did. For starters, the money was also tucked away inside boxes.
More interesting is that the bills were also wrapped in pages from the Cleveland Plain Dealer! Kitts’ finding was also filled with rare collectible bills in fantastic condition valued at $500,000. The only problem is that he didn’t own the property where he discovered the cash.
The Battle for the Hidden Fortune
After informing the homeowner, Amanda Reece, about his discovery, things turned sour. Kitts accused Reece of not doing good on her promise to give him a 10% share of the treasure. Meanwhile, her lawyer claimed that Kitts got greedy and allegedly demanded 40% of it instead. But things were about to get even messier.
The descendants of the fortune’s original owner soon joined the battle and began suing for it. By then, there was little of the treasure to claim as Reece reportedly sold some of the bills to fund a trip to Hawaii. There was some vindication for Kitts in the end, though, and boy was it bittersweet.
A Hard Lesson Was Learned
The media coverage that the story got cost Kitts a lot of business as he felt he was portrayed as the bad guy in the situation. Still, he felt some vindication when the judge granted him a share of the fortune amounting to a few thousand dollars. Want to know the thing that gets us most with this story?
Kitts could’ve kept a larger portion of the fortune if we go by what the law says. When it comes to circumstances like this, the finder has more right than the property owner over what was found. Luckily, branik12 ’s story unfolds much more in his favor, especially as they made another startling discovery.
Getting Back to Work
A week after finding the tin box in his basement and getting his newfound fortune in order, branik12 got back to work. His home remodeling project isn’t going to finish itself on its own now. Though, we’re willing to bet that he has more funds to play with now that he’s a couple of thousands richer.
He might even be able to afford to hire help to finish the job for him. We’re glad he didn’t end doing so because of what happened next. Turning his attention back to the basement ceiling, something caught his eye again. Lo and behold, there was one more surprise in store for him.
He Found Another Tin Box
In a different corner of the ceiling was another green tin box waiting to be opened. Once again, he couldn’t believe his luck. Finding the first one was already a mind-boggling blessing. So, coming by the second one so shortly after was just crazy for him.
Like he did before, the man got his camera out to document the next chapter to his exciting discoveries and share it later. Taking down the box, he realized that it was noticeably heavier than the first, twice as heavy even. And he knew what that meant.
No Mysteries This Time
By now, branik12 had a good idea of the drill. There’s probably cash inside. Rare bills, too, most likely. In fact, he even caught a peek of some of the bills through the slit in the box’s vents, so there was definitely no need to guess this time.
We could only imagine the excitement he felt at that point. He was in the process of opening the tin box when he stopped in his tracks. There was one tiny problem: his wife wasn’t home from work yet. So, he waited.
Killing Time
Setting the tin box down, he decided to put his time to good use and finish tearing down the rest of the ceiling. Besides, what if there was a third one hidden in the ceiling’s dark creases? That’s something he didn’t want to miss out on.
Unfortunately, branik12 didn’t find anything else as he wrapped up his work for the day. With a few more hours to kill, he sat down to clean the freshly discovered tin box until his wife got home, and they could open the box together as they did with the one before.
Another Blast from the Past
Lifting the top cover of the box, the couple were greeted with a familiar sight. There were a couple of pages of a newspaper from the ‘50s again. Of course, they also found bundles of neatly arranged hard cash inside. Seeing the box filled to the brim, branik12 started getting excited again.
This time though, their haul ended up being composed primarily of $20 bills instead of the mix of larger bills they found earlier. But that’s fine since the box also contained some rare bills, which they ended up selling, too.
And the Grand Total Is…
Once again, the couple organized and accounted for every dollar they found. In total, they ended up adding $45,000 to their net worth. An impressive sum considering that the average basement remodeling project costs between $11,000 and $29,000, according to Home Advisor.
With the cash they found and the sale of the rare bills, branik12, and his wife could’ve remodeled the room twice. The extra funds could also afford them a couple of tweaks to other areas of the home should they desire. But they already had other plans in mind.
They Chose a Safer Hiding Place
Branik12 took their cash straight to the bank to deposit it into an account. He even shared a fun anecdote from his trip, saying how he had to sit there and watch as the teller counted the bills he brought in.
Safe to say, the couple chose a much safer ‘hiding’ place for their treasure. We’re pretty sure no one else would get to touch their savings, even if it were long forgotten. And unlike in the tin boxes, their cash would actually earn interest as they wait to use it for a specific purpose.
A House that Pays for Itself
By now, we all know that the couple is particularly smart with their funds. So, it wouldn’t come as such a surprise to hear that they intend to use the $45,000 to pay off their mortgage. It seems like their house is about to help pay for itself, quite literally.
When he shared his story, branik12 said that he and his wife were on track to have their home paid off much earlier than expected. Apparently, they were looking forward to moving and living in the country. But before he departed, he answered a question that might have been running in your mind as you followed his story.
A Classic Case of Good Karma?
Did branik12 do something outstanding to deserve the good fortune he came upon? Is this a case of good karma? Well, the answer is maybe and probably not, according to him. While he said that he and his wife are good people who help others in ways they can, he personally doesn’t believe in the concept of karma.
But that doesn’t stop us from being left with the impression that his story is proof that great things can happen to anyone. You never know. Your own tin box full of cash might be waiting for you to find somewhere out there, too.
Happily Ever After
We haven’t heard much from branik12 about the treasure he found since he posted his final update on Imgur in 2016. He didn’t even give interviews or reveal his real name, to our knowledge. While we’re curious about where he is and how he’s doing these days, his choice is most likely for the best.
We’ve seen how this kind of lucky break could easily turn into a nightmare. It would be a shame to see him lose his shot at settling all his mortgage debt. Here’s to hoping branik12 is living his best life out in the country.