Antiques Roadshow

Whenever I’m flipping through the guide on the TV and come across Antiques Roadshow, I always stop for a minute to see what items may be sold. I’m always hoping for some secret compartment to drop down from an old dresser revealing an original copy of the Declaration of Independence or something. There have been some pretty amazing finds.

This is what I think about whenever I go and do work at the old man’s house on our street. He and his wife (now deceased) bought the house from her father roughly 25 years ago. Buying from family means they leave all their crap behind because it might be useful to someone someday. And old people love junk. So now I’ve got the junk of two people, all very well organized in old Jiffy bottles.

So this last week I’ve been working on stripping his basement floor of the old paint and applying a new, more durable finish. It’s terribly laborious, but it’s been filling up my nights and weekends. Going into his basement, especially the first time, I thought I was for sure going to find some awesome old furniture or at least an old confederate uniform. Didn’t happen. This stuff is in the basement for a reason.

However, while moving his things around (I have to do half the floor first, then move everything to the other half and do that side) I discovered an old, metal utility box. Being in this basement makes me a little more curious than usual. I’m generally very curious anyway, so this means I look at everything. So I open the box up because I know it hasn’t been seen in ages and it was hidden under a shelving unit. I wasn’t expecting much. I mean, the box on the shelf above it was filled with matchbooks from every casino in America. However, inside the box was individually wrapped (in aluminum foil) sets of bills. I wasn’t surprised. I know old people fear banks, keep a little money hidden in case of an emergency. However, when the old man came downstairs later on and I jokingly mentioned to him that I had found his stash of cash, he had no idea what I was talking about. It turns out that his father-in-law had put the money down there 25 years ago and forgot to tell anyone. He became very giddy.

So now the old man is $6,600 richer and I’m still waiting for my finder’s fee. He is going to split it with his two brothers-in-law. I still feel a little jilted though.