There's More To It Than You Think
There's often much more to objects than meets the eye at first sight. You may have come across something and assumed you knew all there is to know about that item or person.
However, something unexpected may occur, causing your expectations or what you believed you knew to be thwarted. Something which happens rather frequently at garage sales.
Finding The Treasure
What is the reason behind people's attendance of yard sales? The solution is simple: to locate a hidden gem, some expensive item that has gone unnoticed; to discover anything of value that has been hidden from other's sight.
But what if the value of one of those goods was misjudged not only by those who didn't desire, but also by those who decided to purchase it? Emil Knodell, the subject of this narrative, experienced something similar.
US Veteran
Emil Knoddel was a 67-year-old retired marketing director who has lived in Texas his whole life. Retirement oftentimes got lonely and boring, so he had to rely on his various hobbies to keep him entertained. His hobbies included searching for hidden treasures at yard and estate sales.
He hunted down some really good prices and he had been stunned by his discoveries of unique items. However, he could have never anticipated what he would hunt down in Missouri, Texas.
Nothing Out Of The Ordinary
Emil honestly did not expect to find anything special at that particular sale.
Even if he did not find valuable items, he thoroughly enjoyed going to yard sales. He almost always found something that he liked. Sometimes it was practical items that he could use around the house, other times the items just looked nice. However, there was something different about this sale...
What You See
That estate sale was put on by a seasoned veteran, which meant that every item would be meticulously inspected and accurately priced. In other words, no hidden treasures were anticipated.
At sales like these, everything you saw was everything you would get. However, it appears that some of the employees of the company overlooked one key item.
Locating It
Emil was walking around inspecting the items and it came to him as no surprise when he did not find anything extraordinary. There were intriguing items that was for sure, but they weren't well priced and he did not feel especially drawn to them.
However, one particular object drew his attention.
Something Special
It was an antique wooden chest of drawers. It was composed of wood and featured a marble top as well as some intricately carved drawers. It was documented to be from the 1890s, according to it's evaluation.
It was an attractive piece, there was no doubt about that. However, Emil was determined to find something special about this wooden chest. He decided to investigate further.
Overlooking Something Important
He looked around the sides and behind the dresser but couldn't find anything noteworthy. He then decided to rummage through the drawers.
There was also nothing in there. That was, unfortunately, exactly what it was: a lovely antique wooden dresser. Emil, on the other hand, had overlooked something.
Strange Noises
He inquired about the cost of the item and it was listed at $100. That was strange because a few days ago, the item was being sold for $300. Nobody seemed to buy that item, and the yard sale organizers just wanted to let it go.
Emil was under the impression that he stumbled upon a steal. He immediately purchased the item and took it to his truck. That's when he began to hear strange, frightening noises emanating from within the dresser. There was a rumbling noise within.
Hidden Compartment
He stopped in his tracks to locate the source of the noise. He opened the drawers to inspect them again, however, they were still empty. He inspected each side of the dresser just to ensure that he did not overlook anything.
And then he found it, a hidden drawer at the bottom of the dresser! It appeared to be made with the intent of concealing rather than storing things. As he opened the secret drawer, his heart was beating.
A Secret Stash
When he finally saw what was inside, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
It was a stash of very valuable and antique items: gold coins, historical artifacts from the Civil War, jewels, personal mementos and letters. That was a treasure; not only was it worth multiple times what he had paid for the dresser, but it was also a piece of history.
What Should He Do?
Emil found himself in a dilemma: what should he do about the secret, precious stash? He had only paid for an old dresser and he had ended up with a lot more. But he was unsure of what to do with it.
The first thing he did was call an appraiser. The total value of the stash was calculated to be around $10,000. That was a lot of money.
Emil’s Decision
But he thought about the ethical side of the incident: he had only paid for the old dresser, and that’s what he thought he was taking home with him. The managers of the yard had been clearly clueless about what was truly inside the dresser.
Also, some objects from the stash clearly would have some sentimental value to whoever owned it originally. So he made a decision.
And Old Ex-Marine’s Choice
He would return the stash to whoever was the original owner of the dresser and he would just keep the latter. After all, it would have been unfair to follow the “finders, keepers” policy in this situation.
“I’m an old ex-Marine, and I try to do the right thing,” Emil explained later to the reporters that asked him about his story.
The Owner Of The Treasure
That same evening, he took the stash back to the managers of the yard sale and informed them of his discovery. He also asked to be put in contact with whoever had sold them the dresser so their identity could be verified as the relative or relatives of whoever left that treasure there for their descendents.
Finally, someone appeared and rightly demonstrated that the stash belonged to him. Emil gave it back and took the dresser home, glad to have followed his Marine moral code regardless of temptation. Truly an example to follow.