James Tarmy The Washington Post

In the late 1980s, William Morton-Smith, a California-based doctor, was rummaging through a garage that contained some of his deceased parents' belongings. He opened the drawer of an old desk, and "there was a bunch of loose coins," says Morton-Smith's son, Tim.

In the late 1980s, William Morton-Smith, a California-based doctor, was rummaging through a garage that contained some of his deceased parents' belongings. He opened the drawer of an old desk, and "there was a bunch of loose coins," says Morton-Smith's son, Tim.