20 Unbelievable Treasures People Found in Their Homes

Did someone say hidden treasures? From Vincent Van Gogh's painting to a collection of gold coins, here's a list of 20 cool things people found in their homes.

When you buy a home of your dreams, you want it to be a comfortable space where you can relax and unwind after a long hectic day. Nobody buys it hoping to discover treasures inside. However, in the cases below, not only did people find amazing things hidden in their homes, but some of those items went on to fetch millions in auctions. Eager to learn more about the finds? Keep reading!

Renoir Painting

When a Virginia woman bought a box of items at a flea market for just $7, she never expected to land her hands on a painting that would turn out to be a valuable artwork.

The painting, which got the woman's attention again only two years after buying it while she was decluttering her home, was signed a Renoir. She thought nothing of it except hoping its golden frame would be useful until her mother asked her to appraise it.

She said she actually listened to her mom for once, and it was estimated that the painting could be worth $75,000 to $100,000.

Norman Rockwell Painting

In 2006, a man named Dave Trachte found a famous artwork hidden behind a false wall in his late father's Vermont home: it was Norman Rockwell's "Breaking Home Ties" for "The Saturday Evening Post"s 1954 cover.

Things took a strange turn when it was found out that the original painting was already on display at a museum. After Trachte's find, it was discovered the one which was considered authentic was fake all along, and the one found by Trachte was the real artwork worth millions.

Century-Old Baseball Cards Worth Millions

While cleaning the attic of his grandfather's house in Defiance, Ohio, a man named Karl Kissner came across a wooden box containing hundreds of cards.

Karl only realized the significance of his discovery a week later when he got the collection appraised. Thirty-seven cards, which are known as the jewels of the E98 series cards he discovered, were sold for more than $500,000!

A Vincent Van Gogh Painting

This Van Gogh-esque distorted-looking painting depicting trees, shrubs, and cloudy skies was housed in a Norwegian man's attic. He was initially told it wasn't Van Gogh's real work, so the man just stored it away in his attic again.

However, later the painting was identified as Van Gogh's real artwork and was chosen for display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Titled "Sunset at Montmajour," this painting is the first full-size work by Van Gogh uncovered since 1928.

100 Kilograms of Gold

A French man was taken aback when he literally found treasure in the property he had inherited from his dead relatives—hidden cleverly in different places around the house was an unbelievable collection of gold bars and coins weighing 100 kilos (3215 troy ounces of gold!)

A local French auctioneer, Nicolas Fierfort, who'd visited the house to value the furniture the new owner had offered for sale, was also surprised by the discovery. The find, comprising 5000 gold pieces, two 12-kilo bars, and 37 1-kilo ingots, was estimated to be worth more than 3.5 million euros!

Cash in Ceiling

A couple took to social media to share that while repairing their years-old home in Cleveland, Ohio, they unearthed a treasure. The man, who was repairing his then 40-year-old property, uncovered two green and grey boxes while ripping apart the basement's dusty ceiling and assumed he had discovered a collection of sports cards.

The couple couldn't believe it when the boxes were opened. They found a total of $45,000 in cash. The man was so excited about his discovery that he even posted pictures on social media!

Gold Coins

When a UK couple discovered gold coins, they were busy renovating their home. They hadn't hoped to find anything valuable; however, as the couple lifted the floorboard of the 18th-century property, they couldn't believe their eyes.

There was a stash of coins buried six inches under the concrete. Later, it was found the collection was more than 400 years old, and its worth was estimated to be more than £750,000!

Prohibition-Era Moonshine Stash

In another surprising home renovation story, a couple found whiskey from the Prohibition Era in their home. Nick Drummond and Patrick Bakker had been living in their home for over a year when they decided to go for some major renovations.

But they hadn't expected that hidden in the walls and under the floorboards, they would discover more than 60 bottles of Moonshine! The couple was once told their home was built by an infamous bootlegger, but they didn't believe it until they came across the find.

An Ancient Underground City

Yep, you read it right! A whole city! A man in Turkey was renovating his home in 1963 when he realized many of his chickens were missing. Determined to find them, he began inspecting the house and eventually realized they were disappearing through a deep, open crack in his basement.

When he did some digging to figure out where they were going after escaping through the basement, he uncovered the entrance to the ancient Derinkuyu underground city.

Rare Comic Worth $175,000

In a rare find, Action Comics No. 1, which features the first appearance of Superman, was found inside the walls of a Minnesota home during a house renovation. The comic, which was discovered by David Gonzalez, was apparently stashed inside the house for more than 70 years.

Gonzalez, who wasn't a comic fan, had a hunch the find was valuable when he discovered it, and his suspicions proved true when the find fetched $175,000 in an online auction.

Comic Collection Worth $3.5 Million

When Micheal Rorrer first found the collection of comics in his late great-aunt's Virginia home, he thought they were "cool," but he had no idea about the worth of his discovery.

Only later did Rorrer discover that his great-uncle Billy Wright had assembled a valuable and rare collection, which was also in good condition. Eventually, the collection of comics Rorrer had found, which included Action Comics No. 1 and Batman No. 1, was sold for $3.5 million!

Original Print of Declaration of Independence

A Philadelphia analyst got more than he bargained for when he found an old copy of the Declaration of Independence inside a $4 flea market painting.

He was investigating a tear in the canvas when the frame fell apart in his hand, revealing a folded document that turned out to be a valuable discovery. In 1991, two years after it was found, the document fetched more than what was anticipated: $2.42 million!

Jackson Pollock's Painting

When Teri Horton bought this painting for a friend's house, she thought it was very ugly, yet she paid $5 for it and took it with her. When her friend finally received it, she, too, didn't think the painting was very captivating.

So after her friend failed to fit it in her trailer home, Horton decided she would get rid of the painting in a garage sale. However, after seeing the artwork, an art teacher told Horton it could be renowned American painter Jackson Pollock's actual work. The painting was estimated to be $50 million!

Ancient Mayan Murals

A farmer and odd-job man named Lucas was redoing the kitchen of his modest colonial-era house in Guatemala's rural highlands when he stumbled upon the 300-year-old murals.

The artwork executed on the wall is a priceless piece of Guatemalan history. After the discovery, Lucas had several European tourists who paid him to enter his house and see the paintings.

Caravaggio Painting

Marc Labarbe, a French auctioneer, had a strange phone call from a friend in 2014 that left him surprised. Labarbe's friend disclosed he had found a "valuable" painting in their Toulouse home attic.

After the painting reached Labarbe, he cleaned one of the painted faces in the artwork, which was stained with pipe leaks and coated with dust, and sent a photo of the artwork to Eric Turquin, an art appraiser.

Later, Turquin identified the painting as the Italian painter Caravaggio's artwork. The painting was estimated to be worth more than $170 million!

Lost Faberge Egg

When a man bought the egg for $14,000 at a flea market, he had no idea about its worth. In fact, years later, he decided to sell it for $500 to scrap metal dealers, but luck favored him, and he couldn't find a buyer.

After looking up an article on the Internet about the egg one evening, the man was astonished that his regular buy was not so regular. He contacted a Faberge expert, and it was then he realized his find was indeed worth millions!

"Billy the Kid" Photograph

A man bought a picture from a Californian antique shop for $2, but he didn't know what he'd bought would turn out to be worth millions. The collector had bought an old-timey photo from the shop, considering it to be a vintage picture he could add to his collection.

However, it was later discovered the photo depicts the American outlaw Billy the Kid and his gang, and its worth was estimated to be around $5 million!

Nazi-Looted Artwork Worth More Than A Billion Dollars

In a rather usual way of discovery, a cache of 1500 artworks that had been missing for 70 years was found in Germany in a Munich apartment during a raid.

The collection, which includes masterpieces by esteemed artists like Picasso and Matisse, was estimated to be worth more than $1 billion. It is believed that the collection was confiscated by the Nazis, and it also includes works by Modernist masters like Emil Nolde and Franz Marc.

Car Engine Worth Millions

In 2009, the relatives of an eccentric man named Harold Carr were left astonished when they discovered they were going to become millionaires overnight! Dr. Carr had left his garage in his will to his nephew and niece, which led them to the amazing find that would change their lives forever.

One of only 17 made in the world, the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, which was estimated to have a worth of up to £6 million, was parked in their uncle's garage. Besides that, Dr. Carr's relatives also found a classic Aston Martin.

Coins Dating Back to the Roman Empire

The owners of a house in Keszthely, Hungary, were working in their cellar when they found the coins. A collection of 2800 gold and silver Roman-era coins, the find was discovered in the house once owned by a collector presumed to have been murdered during Holocaust.

After looking at these finds, one thing is for sure: Sometimes, you don't need to leave your house to go treasure hunting! Who knows, the next time you renovate your home, you'll end up finding something equally worth treasuring!