Alex Archbold found some unexpected treasures in a hoarder's house.
An antique shop owner in Canada was stunned to discover that the contents of a home he purchased included designer clothes, rare coins, bags with gold and diamond rings, wallets full of cash and silver dollars, among other things. According to CBC News, Alex Archbold says it was a grand piano that convinced him to purchase Bette-Joan Rac's estate after her death. The antique dealer says he had no idea of the treasures he would find inside.
Mr Archbold, who owns the shop Curiosity Inc in Edmonton, bought the estate of late music teacher, Bette-Joan Rac, for $10,000. For his store, Mr Archbold regularly buys the contents of old homes and shares his discoveries on YouTube.
"I thought it was going to be a break-even situation, that maybe with the piano and some of the other things, I might be able to get $10,000 worth of stuff," he said. "I was shocked and surprised to learn that that was not the case."
Mr Archbold says he had known the music teacher for years but had never been inside her house. On getting the keys to the house, he was stunned to discover it was full of unexpected treasures.
"It was in an extreme state of hoarding," he told Bored Panda. "Little did I know that the eccentric piano teacher I had met was, in fact, a millionaire!"
He documented his journey of going through the house's contents on YouTube.
One of the most memorable discoveries he made was a bar of silver hidden underneath a mattress. Mr Archbold and his team also found a rack full of fur coats, loads of silver dollars, money dating back to the 1920s and several other trinkets.
"It's an urban legend kind of story, and I got to be there and got to be part of it. It's just insane," he said.
The antique dealer estimates that he found treasures worth around $400,000 - or approximately Rs 2 crore.
"We invested $10,000 in buying the house contents as is, and we will have sold $400,000 after all is said and done after three auctions of the contents and treasures... This was the best investment I have made to date!" he says.
The grand piano that initially drew him to purchase the estate Mr Archbold has kept for himself - it will now sit in a cafe he plans to open.
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