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Husband accidently chucks out $50,000 worth of jewellery!

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Man Chucks out Family Jewels

A Queensland man accidently threw out $50,000 worth of gold and jewellery belonging to his wife, which was stored in a garbage-bag, during a house-move.

I've heard of stories like this before, but this one is really something. Last time I heard of a similar story, a grandmother was distraught after her daughter-in-law accidently donated some old towels to a charity shop, not realising that three generations' worth of the family's gold wedding and engagement-rings were hidden inside. Woops!

But $50,000 in ONE GO? That's pretty impressive...
 

Tomasso

Incurably Addicted
Messages
13,719
Location
USA
One of my college roommates once threw out a semester's supply of weed that he had put in a garbage bag. We were all devastated at the time but it's nothing to compare with these knuckleheads. Jewelry in a garbage bag; who does that!
 

sheeplady

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
4,479
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA
Is that a valid ground for divorce? ;)

I think I'd prefer to remain married to him, just to ensure the rest of his life was miserable. ;)

I am totally kidding- because it seems like an accident on both people's parts. I'm sure the wife put the jewelry in there to make sure it wasn't stolen during the move, or maybe that was the only bag she had, or something. And I am sure the husband was just trying to help clean up the house.
 

AmateisGal

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,126
Location
Nebraska
one of my college roommates once threw out a semester's supply of weed that he had put in a garbage bag. We were all devastated at the time but it's nothing to compare with these knuckleheads. Jewelry in a garbage bag; who does that!

lol lol lol
 

Stray Cat

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Ah.. what.. no! "I imagine these items of jewelery are quite small and they're probably buried below three to four meters of waste,"
and
"We bury about 1400 tonnes of waste every week and that equates to about 280 garbage trucks."

I'd just KILL him. So, he'd be among those 1400 tonnes of waste! lol
 

Guttersnipe

One Too Many
Messages
1,942
Location
San Francisco, CA
This happens at estate clean outs all the time. Many older folks, who you wouldn't otherwise consider hoarders, stash jewelry and other valuables in unlikely places. It's especially common with folks who lived through the Great Depression, those who were refugees during WWII and especially with Holocaust survivors.
 

olive bleu

One Too Many
Messages
1,667
Location
Nova Scotia
:jaw::jaw::jaw: Holy mackerel!!! Well, i moved this past spring, and ALL my jewellry stayed with me AT ALL TIMES..In my PURSE!

And my jewellry is crap.
 

W-D Forties

Practically Family
Messages
684
Location
England
My mum had a thing about hiding money and bits of (usually worthless) jewellery in very odd places. Under the carpet being one of them. Works reasonably well for notes, but not so well for watches!
 
Messages
13,469
Location
Orange County, CA
One of my neighbors was staying with his daughter while recovering from a stroke a few years ago. The daughter and son-in-law came down with a dumpster and cleaned up his house. They threw away tons of junk as well as $3,000 in cash that was in a paper bag! The daughter said that she repeatedly asked her dad to come with them and tell them what he wanted to keep and what to throw away but he refused to go with them.
 
Last edited:

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
I have a more horrible story then that, my Mother's grandparents had a large 3 story home filled with Tiffany lamps, Tiffany fixtures, mirrors, Chippendale furniture, Royal Dalton plates, everything silver or gold that you can imagine, women's hand held mirrors for doing hair that were in real gold frames and handles just all that nice stuff you would want to take to the Antique Roadshow and let them drool over it. Well, my Father did not want to keep storing all those items and was not wanting to pay for the storage facility, so one weekend he went to the storage facility and opened the doors of the units and put a "take for free" sign on everything. Now this was in the year 1968, but still you would know gold items had a value as did everything there. I think when my Mother found out what my Father had done, she about wanted to kill him for it.

I would have to conclude that value of those items on today's market would have passed a half million easily. When I am visiting with my Mother and we watch lamps and other items being showcased on the Antique Roadshow, we see items exactly like what was once in the family and just wish....
 

Lily Powers

Practically Family
Sometimes my job takes me into the homes of people who have died and who have no immediate family, so I secure their residence and valuables. Things I have found: $6,500 dollars in 100-dollar bills, each folded in thirds, each wrapped individually in foil and put in a Bandaid tin; beautiful vintage jewelry wrapped in tissue, tied with rubber bands and placed in hosiery, then hidden in a soup tureen on top of the fridge; hundreds of dollars and jewels wrapped in paper and shoved in the hollow of a walker; more than $15,000 hidden in grocery tote bags tossed in a room filled with clutter... First time I encountered something like that I was kind of shocked, now I'm shocked if I can't find a hidden goodie. Still, if I packed my jewelry in a trash bag, that bag wouldn't leave my grubby little hands until it was safely unpacked.
 

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
Yes you do! Sounds like your father was not of sound mind.
He really felt there was no point in hanging on to what he considered old stuff. That was his position on many times if we moved, he would just pitch things out that should have been saved. At one point later on in the years to follow, when he realized the real value of what was given away for free, I am sure he felt rather foolish for his actions.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,082
Location
London, UK
This happens at estate clean outs all the time. Many older folks, who you wouldn't otherwise consider hoarders, stash jewelry and other valuables in unlikely places. It's especially common with folks who lived through the Great Depression, those who were refugees during WWII and especially with Holocaust survivors.

Am I the only one having Pulp Fiction flashbacks?
 

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