While clutter is the bane of every home-owning neat freak on the planet, it’s nearly impossible not to accumulate as least a little junk. Old items are left abandoned in garages and attics, sitting for years collecting dust until finally someone takes that dreaded — but long overdue — trip to the dump.
Sometimes, though, all that “junk” people stash out of sight has more to it than meets the eye. As one man was rummaging through his grandparent’s overcrowded ceramics room, he discovered something in an old unassuming closet that left even his grandmother in awe.
One afternoon, an Imgur user known as Todirel was sorting through the aforementioned ceramics room, which had pretty much turned into a junk depot. But there was one item there that caught his eye.
In the corner behind stacks of old papers and blank canvases was a tall brown cabinet that looked as though it hadn’t been opened in years. Todirerl felt the urge to start investigating.
The shelving of the closet was bare, but Todirerl realized at the base was a false bottom that popped out rather easily. Gravel filled the rectangular area underneath, but once Todirerl cleared it away, he gasped.
Staring up at him from the closet’s base was a dial to a safe! The whole time his grandmother had this piece of furniture, they had no idea that there was a locked box resting at the bottom. Todirerl pried it out.
The safe had seen much better days. It was covered in rust and the edges were banged up, but that made it super easy to pry open with some tools. No master safe cracker was necessary.
Wearing gloves to ensure he didn’t cut himself or get tetanus, Todirerl grabbed a hammer and metal wedging tool and carefully removed the safe’s lid. But, he was not ready for what was inside.
Within the rusted container was a mystery object draped in a black cloth, a plastic container, pictures, and a note that looked like it was torn out of a book. A close look at the black cloth answered one mystery.
After Todirerl pulled it back, he noticed something was wrapped up inside it. He unraveled the tattered piece of linen and came upon a leather pouch that answered who the safe belonged to.
Everything in the safe was very delicate from years of exposure, so every move Todirerl made was with the utmost care. He slowly opened the pouch strings and found his grandfather’s pocketwatch issued by the British Army!
But, that was only the beginning of Todirerl’s safe adventure. After admiring the quality of the watch, he came across a massive collection of old stamps. Some were from countries that didn’t even exist anymore!
Next he turned to the note, which read, “Abandon all regret, ye who enter here.” It was apparently written by his grandfather who had passed away several years earlier, and it was a play on the famous Dante’s Inferno quote, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” There was more.
Additionally, he found this artifact that looked like it came straight out of the movie Aladdin. Unfortunately, there was no genie in this old relic. Someone online suggested this was likely an incense burner.
And he was amazed by the photos he found! The first he pulled from the safe was actually of one of Todirerl’s ancestors. Believe it or not, this was his great-great-great-grandmother. Talk about a blast from a totally different past!
The dapper gentlemen rocking a crisp suit and holding a pipe in this photo was Todirerl’s great-grandfather! One Internet user left the appropriate comment, “Your great-grandfather is so stylish it hurts.” Next, it was time to explore the plastic case.
Todirerl could tell by the way the case sounded when he shook it that there were several items inside. It didn’t take long to pop it open and find some unusual coins, as well as a key.
The coins weren’t ordinary pocket change either. Todirerl never saw anything like them before, and luckily, when he posted this photo online, coin experts chimed in. Apparently, there were a 1921 half-dollar and some Pakistani coins worth keeping.
But the coins weren’t even the best part. There were actually two pieces of memorabilia from World War I. One was a medal given to commonwealth troops who served in the theater, but the other was a mystery.
The final item Todirerl pulled out was a random key — even Todirerl’s grandmother had no clue what it belonged to. Todirerl was left with a riddle to hopefully one day solve.