Hundreds of artworks, possibly worth millions, have been discovered in the most unexpected places, often discarded or forgotten. Imagine a hidden world frozen in time for over 70 years. In 1939, just before World War II began, an ordinary apartment in a quiet European city was sealed off, its occupants vanishing amid wartime chaos. While life continued outside, time inside seemed to stop. Decades later, a long-lost key was found, unlocking not just a door but a treasure trove of forgotten history and stories. Below, we explore 20 astonishing discoveries of valuable items found in abandoned places.
Number 20: Precious Belgian Coins
While demolishing a crumbling, centuries-old house in Brittany, France, construction workers made a thrilling discovery behind a wall untouched for generations. Inside a heavy, sealed lead case, they found 600 gleaming Belgian gold coins from the 1870s, each bearing the face of King Leopold II, the controversial ruler known for his colonization of the Congo. Minted during a period of European imperialism and economic expansion, these rare coins were likely hidden for safekeeping during political or financial unrest. Valued at approximately €100,000 today, the find was both historically significant and highly valuable. The workers immediately contacted the French police, who sealed off the site to preserve its cultural and historical value. Interestingly, the property owner wasn’t surprised—his grandfather, an avid coin collector, had often spoken of hidden treasures.
Number 19: Masterpiece in the Trash
In 2003, Elizabeth Gibson found a discarded painting during her morning walk in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Intrigued, she took it home, unaware it was Tres Personajes, a modern art masterpiece by renowned Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo. Gibson spent four years researching the painting, eventually learning it had been featured on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow as a stolen masterpiece from 1989. Originally purchased in 1977 by a Houston collector for $55,000 as a gift for his wife, the painting was stolen from storage a decade later during a move. After the collector’s death, his widow sold it at Sotheby’s Latin American Art Department for $1,049,000 to an anonymous American collector. Tamayo, born in 1899 in Oaxaca, Mexico, and passing in 1991, created vibrant works, and Gibson received $15,000 plus a percentage of the sale for returning the painting.
Number 18: Michael Jackson’s Unreleased Tracks
Two treasure hunters exploring a storage unit once belonging to Joe Jackson, father of pop legend Michael Jackson, uncovered 250 previously unheard tracks, including collaborations with Tina Turner. The unit, long abandoned, also contained 25 full albums of unreleased songs recorded during periods when Jackson was not bound by a record contract, creating a legal gray area regarding ownership. This musical jackpot, offering a glimpse into a potential powerhouse partnership, remains a complex legal puzzle as no one can currently claim the tracks.
Number 17: Batman in the Basement
While clearing out his great-aunt’s house in Virginia, Michael Roarer discovered a collection of comic books belonging to his late uncle. Among them was Detective Comics #27, the 1939 debut of Batman, one of the most coveted items in comic book history. The collection also included other Golden Age comics, such as Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman in 1938. In 2012, the collection sold at auction in New York for $3,500,000, setting a record for comic book sales at the time.
Number 16: Bronze Age Sword
In 1965, a farmer fishing along a river in Northern Ireland found an old sword, which he stored in a shed for over 50 years. In 2017, while researching the 1594 Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits for the Battle Bricks and Bridges project, he and his brother rediscovered the sword. Experts confirmed it was a 2,600-year-old Bronze Age artifact, deliberately broken and thrown into the river. Recognizing its significance, the farmer donated it to a local museum.
Number 15: Sandomierz Treasure
In 1988, a construction worker renovating an old telephone exchange in Sandomierz, Poland, discovered a treasure trove of gold and silver coins, jewels, and a 14th-century golden crown worth about $6,900,000. The treasure, including over 4,000 gold coins minted in Prague, was traced to Emperor Charles IV of the House of Luxembourg, who had pawned it to a Jewish banker. After the banker’s disappearance during a plague, the treasure remained unclaimed until its rediscovery. The public rushed to grab coins, but police intervened, and archaeologists uncovered more items, including brooches and pendants.
Number 14: Body in a Casket
In May 2016, during a home renovation in San Francisco, workers found a small casket under the floorboards containing the mummified body of a young girl, aged 3–5, who died around 145 years earlier. The well-preserved remains suggested she died of natural causes, possibly malnutrition or disease. A rose in her hand hinted at a wealthy family. In 2018, DNA testing identified her as Edith Howard Cook, born in 1873 to a prominent San Francisco businessman.
Number 13: Thornborough Hoard
In 2020, metal detectorist Ken Allen discovered the Thornborough Hoard in South Gloucestershire, England, a collection of over 11,000 Anglo-Saxon silver coins from the early 11th century, likely hidden during King Cnut’s reign. Found while digging a pond, the well-preserved coins feature kings and religious symbols, offering a glimpse into England’s rich history.
Number 12: Marthe de Florian’s Portrait
In 2010, experts opened a Parisian apartment untouched for over 70 years, once belonging to French socialite Marthe de Florian. Inside, they found a captivating 1898 portrait of her by Giovanni Boldini, with a handwritten note suggesting a romantic connection. The painting, a piece of Parisian history, sold at auction in 2014 for $2,900,000.
Number 11: 300-Year-Old Doorstop
A bust of Sir John Gordon, sculpted in 1728 by Edmé Bouchardon, was found in a shed in Banff, Scotland, used as a doorstop. Purchased in the 1920s for £5, it was rediscovered in 2016 and appraised at €1,900,000, later displayed at the Louvre in Paris.
Number 10: Rare Diamond Rings
In Canada, antique shop owner Alex Archbold bought a house’s contents for $10,000 and found vintage gold and diamond rings, designer clothing, silver dollars, and a 100-ounce silver bar, valued at $400,000. The house, owned by a deceased piano teacher, also contained a grand piano, adding to the find’s intrigue.
Number 9: Classic Video Game
In 2019, Scott Amos found an unopened 1987 copy of Kid Icarus in his childhood home’s attic, still in a 1988 JC Penney shopping bag. Initially thinking it was-tablet, it sold for $9,000 at auction, far exceeding its original $38 price.
Number 8: Criminal’s Treasure
After Pablo Escobar’s death in 1991, authorities raided his Medellín mansion and found $2 billion in cash hidden in walls, ceilings, and underground safes. The Colombian government seized the money for social projects, though allegations of mismanagement followed.
Number 7: Movie Posters
During a Cardiff home renovation, builders found 66 vintage 1930s and 1940s cinema posters used as carpet padding. Featuring stars like John Wayne and Boris Karloff, the collection included a 1939 Stagecoach poster sold for €37,200 and a 1940 Black Friday poster for €1,440.
Number 6: Hundreds of Artworks in a Barn
After artist Francis Hines’s death, a contractor found hundreds of his abstract artworks in a Watertown, Connecticut barn. Valued at millions, the collection was given to mechanic Jared Whipple, who sold it with the family’s permission.
Number 5: 497 Gold Coins in the Rafters
In 2012, factory workers renovating an old winery in France found 497 gold coins from 1851–1928, valued at $1 million, hidden in the rafters. The owner, François Long, kept half and shared the rest with the workers.
Number 4: Treasure Safe
In Staten Island, Matthew and Maria Colonna-Emanuel found a buried safe in their backyard containing $52,000 in cash, jewelry, and a note linking it to a 2011 burglary by the “Ninja Burglar.” They returned the items to their neighbor.
Number 3: The Waiting Cat
An explorer found an abandoned house with a mummified cat on a bed, seemingly waiting for its owner. The poignant scene highlighted the emotional weight of forgotten places.
Number 2: Charlotte Brontë’s Ring
In 2021, a gold ring with a lock of Charlotte Brontë’s hair was found in a Scottish attic, passed down through her husband’s family. This rare artifact offered a personal glimpse into the life of the Jane Eyre author.
Number 1: Mayan Relics in Garbage
In 2004, junk removal specialist Nick DiMola found ancient Mayan relics—clay figurines, bowls, and jugs—in a Manhattan estate’s basement. Initially mistaken for junk, the 2,300-year-old artifacts were appraised at $16,500.
