She smashed open an ’80s kitchen wall and a small metal box with 'hidden treasure' tumbled out — then wondered why no one came back for it
They kept staring at the mysterious box for a few minutes, curious to know the story of what lay inside it
When people move out of their long-time house or abandon it, they sometimes leave behind a paraphernalia of objects they bought or stored while they still lived there but couldn’t carry with them. While some of these objects lie in plain sight, others remain hidden in nooks and crannies where the owner sneaked them. In a May 9, 2026, Reddit post, an individual (u/cashout5058) relayed the story of a metal box they discovered while renovating the old apartment they just bought. The treasures inside the box left them gobsmacked.
The mysterious treasure box
It happened last summer when the person and their uncle were renovating the apartment they had purchased. The homeowner explained that the walls were in such a bad condition that they seemed to have been built during the 80s. But little did they know that a big surprise awaited them. Well, the author and their uncle started breaking the kitchen wall, and suddenly, a metal box tumbled out. "At first I thought it was just some trash, but bro, inside was money, old watches, and a couple gold rings, no joke," they recalled. "The money wasn't even new; [it] looked really old, maybe hidden there like 20 years ago or more." For a few minutes, the author and their uncle stared at everything like a Netflix suspense flick, curious to know everything about the newfound treasure. "Still wondering who hid it there and why nobody came back for it," the homeowner added.
People discover odd objects in new homes
A survey (Compare My Move) of 2,000 people found that 28% of respondents who've moved house at least once have found a bundle of candles, while an almost equal share (27%) have found keys. As cited by The Independent, 18% of respondents have discovered old phones, and 14% found a remote control for a mysterious device. Similarly, almost one in ten people found the birthday cards they had almost forgotten, and 10% uncovered clothing with the tags on. The data suggests that the previous homeowners, perhaps, hid their treasure inside the kitchen wall in order to protect it, but forgot it while moving out.
How did the netizens react?
Meanwhile, Reddit readers responded to this discovery with awe and excitement. In fact, many of them compared the instance to a treasure hunt movie. For instance, u/burberryblackout commented, “Bro, that’s actually insane. Finding random old stuff during renovation is one thing, but a hidden metal box with money and gold rings sounds straight out of a movie. The creepiest part is imagining the person who hid it there thinking they’d come back someday… and never did. I swear old apartments always have stories hidden in the walls."
Similarly, u/JKRonish speculated that “The previous owner probably hid it in the wall and passed away without telling anyone he hid it there.” u/burdenofproof814 revealed, "My grandma used to hide valuables all over like this; after she passed, my grandpa & aunt found cash & jewelry everywhere — maybe a similar situation happened there, but [it was done] by a man because of the stash being inside a wall."
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