This Man Inherited a House and Found Something Spectacular Waiting Inside
When a German man received the news that he was the heir to a house belonging to his mother’s aunt, he was speechless. This was a big moment that few people got to experience. Just like that, he had a new piece of property under his belt.
Thanks to the abruptness of the inheritance, the fellow needed guidance on what steps to take next. He could sell the house and make a quick buck or spruce it up and live in it. His decision led to an amazing discovery that fascinated the internet.
The Joy of Owning a Home
Owning a house is a significant milestone in this era because they provide convenience by saving us from rent. Unfortunately, homes don’t come cheap, and mortgage payments are not exactly pocket-friendly.
Luckily, there’s another option, inheriting a home from your folks. If luck is on your side, you might find a prime piece of real estate in your portfolio. On the other hand, the treasure trove from inherited homes is nothing to scoff at. Some people have reported finding goods worth millions in their grandparents’ attic.
It's All About Opportunity Cost
As lucky as inheriting a piece of property sounds, there are a few caveats that you might encounter. In most cases, the homes are not in amazing condition. Most people need help to maintain a house while catching up on property fees.
So it’s advisable to look through the home and see if it is worth the hassle. Sometimes, the renovation costs are too high, and it might make more sense to sell the house or tear it down and build another.
It's Easier Said than Done
Don’t get us wrong, though; selling a sentimental piece of property is not a walk in the park. This is one of those decisions that must be carefully considered before making the next step. Sometimes, you might need to convene a family meeting just in case a relative or family member is interested in the home.
Additionally, putting a price on a place you call home sounds rough. So let’s not start with the fact that you’d be selling off a gift.
Take Your Time and Ease into It
Our main character in this story found himself in a similar predicament when he inherited a piece of property from his grandaunt. The home was a marvelous spectacle, and our handy German was still trying to figure out what to do with the property.
Luckily, unlike most people in his shoes who’d make a rash decision, this guy decided to comb through the entire house just in case there might be something that might change his mind. After all, the house has survived many generations, so something must be worthwhile.
One Step at a Time
The man began his arduous task of going through the house inch by inch. He had to be very careful lest he missed anything. If you have interacted with the older generation before, you must know they are classic hoarders.
Looking at the pile of stuff in their garage or living space might put you off at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you might find a gold mine. Cases of people landing on rare comic books and baseball cards under a mountain of junk are standard.
There's All the Time in the World
This is why everyone inheriting a house from someone older than them usually takes their time looking through the whole house. Other people hire a team to do the work for them, but that is a big gamble as you might get conned.
Moreover, you’ll need to share the spoils lest things are hairy and you start fighting over the finds. This is probably why this man chose to do the work independently. This approach paid off because he found something interesting in the pantry.
It's Not Some Bread
Before you start the bread and cookie jokes, no, it’s not what you think. Sorry to disappoint you, but our homeowner did not land on some exotic lump of preserved bread or a mutated gingerbread man.
Sitting neatly in the corner of the pantry was an old and rusty structure that didn’t belong there. Upon closer inspection, the man discovered he was looking at an old safe. The pantry is a pretty odd place to keep safe, so it must have an exciting story.
Curiosity Got the Better of Him
Like anyone else faced with such a find, the man wanted to crack open the safe. There must be some interesting content inside. Who knows, maybe auntie had left some bonds and stock notes in the safe?
Maybe, just maybe, he was about to discover a treasure trove with valuable items worth more than the piece of property. All the possibilities sounded tantalizing, and no one was prepared for what was inside the safe. When they finally got it open, everyone was speechless.
The Safe in Question
If you’re curious about the safe we are talking about, here it is. As you can see, it’s a pretty sturdy structure with its fair share of action. The rust has tried its best to consume it, but the box is still strong.
If we didn’t know any better, we’d say this can serve as an excellent nuclear bunker for a small, bodied person. Jokes aside, this safe means business, and the contents inside were important for someone to buy such a contraption.
A Little History Lesson
Before we get into the safe’s innards, let’s try and paint a picture of its owner. The lady was born in 1921 in East Prussia. That is way older than most of the current population, so the chances of historical value are pretty high.
So how did our lady land in Germany? It’s a pretty interesting story that has been lost to history, but the short version has her fleeing Russia in the 40s and settling in Hamburg. So far, we are dealing with an interesting character.
How Did She Do It
After such an adventure, we can’t help but wonder if the safe originated in Russia or if she bought it in Germany. If she came with it from Russia, that sounds like an epic movie full of action and adventure. Honestly, having a strong lady dragging a heavy safe across borders sounds incredible.
Like the grandnephew, we have many questions, but there is only one way to find the answers. First, the safe had to be cracked open but looking at its build quality, that’s a tall order.
He Got the Keys to the Box
Luckily, the leading man was running on good luck, and he found the key to the mystery box. Unfortunately, it was lumped with another pile of keys, and he instinctively picked it out from the heap. No jokes, though; by merely looking at the supposed key, we must admit it’s pretty hard to miss.
Without wasting any time and putting his inspection on pause, the man opened the safe with bated breath. His expectations were heightened by what he saw inside. There was another hurdle.
Safe within a Safe
When you open a safe, you are faced with its contents immediately. Surprisingly, this box had a different setup. It was so secure it had an extra lid to keep the things inside safer.
If you’re not keen, you might think that’s a bottom and quickly close it. Looking at the dust accumulated at the top, we can see why this design was crucial. Thieves are not the only thing this safe is meant to keep out. It offers extra protection from the elements.
Grab Us That Safe
Before we continue with the story, can we just take a moment to appreciate this safe workmanship? This box was made with proper security in mind. The artisan thought about everything and intended to make the best safe out there.
Come to think of it, getting such a safe today will probably cost you an arm and a leg. This is one of those safes that thieves dread as they are not worth the hassle. So we need to find this designer sooner than later.
Time to Look Inside
When the second lid was opened, everyone was hoping to be blinded by a hoard of gold and riches, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, the chest seemed to contain books and documents.
There were two tins in there too, but we doubt they can be sold for millions of dollars. We should point out that the chest’s contents were way more valuable than you might think. We all have different definitions of treasure, but this is an excellent example of priceless treasure.
It's Not All About the Money
The chest held three books, photos, letters, and cards that corresponded with the motherland. These objects span several decades and even happened during both world wars.
The oldest item within the trove was dated 1914, while the most recent was dated 1944. If that is not impressive, we don’t know what is. Most of us have only seen war memorabilia through the museum glass, but here was a treasure trove with some items that you can appreciate right before the man’s eyes.
They Were in Pristine Condition
The safe did an amazing job storing these items considering everything was in excellent condition. Nothing was flaking, tearing, or destroyed. Auntie knew what she was doing by investing in this chest. It was money well spent.
The image shows the whole collection in full display, and we must thank the man for being kind enough to share such a scoop with the internet. It’s like looking through a time machine and discovering things about a life you never lived.
So What Was in the Safe
The first things you notice when the safe is opened are the books. They were three in number and were in good condition like everything else. One of them was a copy of Rob Roy by the legendary W. Scott.
We also had the infamous Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler and the German edition of Lady and The Tramp. This was a pretty odd collection, but it was pretty nonetheless. We know you are curious about Adolf’s book so let’s take a look inside, shall we?
It Was a Copy
Despite his reputation, Adolf’s book is quite popular among book collectors, and a copy can fetch a good price depending on the edition and condition. Moreover, some books have sold for astounding sums because the Fuhrer signed the copy.
Unfortunately, in this case, this book’s signature was just a printed version. Had it been one of those autographed editions, our man could be looking at an incredible find that would have beefed up his bank account. Even so, this was the first edition of the book, so it still had some value.
A Book as Old as Time
The next book in line is the iconic Rob Roy by W. Scott. This book might not seem like much to many people now, but avid readers know how important this book is. This particular copy was printed in 1846, making it one of the oldest.
That was long before the Civil War, making us wonder who kept this book so well. Some of us can’t even remember where our High School textbooks are, let alone a book surviving two centuries!
The Lady and the Tramp
If you are a fan of the Disney Classics, this next book needs no introduction. The iconic image of the Lady and the Tramp will stand the test of time. Romance and dogs make people go wild and swoon with emotion, so this is no different.
Like the rest of this stash, this book has some history as it was printed in 1953. If someone showed us these books without the date stamps, we’d be skeptical, considering how well they had been maintained.
A Wholesome Family Portrait
We did mention photos, right? So here’s the first one in the stash; a family portrait! According to the man’s grandmother, she believes the young lady in the photo is her grandmother!
This man was looking at his great-grandparents as clearly as daylight. That must have been a fantastic moment, and we can’t begin to imagine all the emotions swirling in his head. Interestingly, only the man seemed to be smiling; the mother and daughter were having a rough time in front of the camera.
Grandpa with the Sauce
The next photo has us jumping forward half a century to 1950, where we see this cool guy on a motorcycle. When we hear our parents tell us our grandparents were incredible, we find it hard to believe, but by this image, we might want to believe them even more.
The following image has two boys who were part of “Hitler’s Youth.” This was the Nazi version of the Boy Scouts. It was a pretty dark era, but we must admit the boys were looking sharp.
A Postcard from Way Back When
There’s also this romantic postcard from 1916 that has us wondering how cheeky our ancestors must have been. Yes, ancestors! Come on; the postcard is older than most of our grandparents. Heck, some of our great-grandparents can’t even compete.
There’s also another postcard from 1941 that has the classic Nazi stamp. That’s not the only war postcard, as we had another one from 1916 during the first world war. This one is pretty cool and has us feeling nostalgic and ethereal for some reason.
A House in Ruins
The last two photos leave a lot of questions. One has the caption “A house destroyed by the enemy” written beneath it. The other photo shows the Kaiser’s heir greeting a soldier during World War 1. Was the aunt a fan of the Kaiser? Was that home hers? We guess we’ll never know.
Nonetheless, these items took us through in a fun way, and we can’t help but marvel at how far we’ve come. How much technology has changed and fashion has evolved over the years.
Let's Not Forget These Guys
Oh, lest we forget, the chest also contained empty Nivea cans! This is a shocker for most of us as we thought Nivea was a relatively new brand. Nonetheless, it turns out this brand is way older than we thought.
One thing that is interesting, though, is that the iconic logo remains. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, and we hope Nivea doesn’t change the logo soon. Hopefully, one day they’ll do a limited run of these classic packs for nostalgia’s sake.
She Has Seen It All
Going by the contents of this chest, the previous owner had led a fulfilling life full of love and adventure. She was also an ardent record keeper who knew what to keep and what to toss. She makes us want to go through our grandparents’ attics to see if we’ll find something unique for ourselves.
We are pretty sure the new owner was pleased with the find, and that’s why he chose to share some of the contents with the world. There’s also a possibility he kept some juicy finds for himself.
Look before You Leap
This story is a good reason you should take the time to assess a situation before making a decision. Combing through the house gave the man a chance to bond with his family and understand what life was like back in the day.
If he had cleared the house or paid someone to do it, he’d have missed out on a rollercoaster of nostalgia. Additionally, the internet wouldn’t be as blessed as it is today. So instead, we got a chance to peek at history for free.
History Is Truly Beautiful
Looking at these items, some might argue that they are not as valuable as gold, and they’re somewhat right. Nonetheless, most of these items have a value that can’t be bought. How many people know their great-grandparents let alone see their picture?
These items can make perfect heirlooms that family members can cherish for generations. So next time you are in a similar situation, comb through the things; you never know what you might find. Who knows, you might be lucky to find a rare baseball card!