Mom & Dads hidden treasure

[lostforever]

Since I was a child I have always had an open ear to any conversations centered on treasure hunting, but have yet to jump into the hobby until now. My parent’s circumstance has forced me to become a treasure hunter
Over the years parents metal state has faded and the location of their valuables have become ancient history and have turned into somewhat of a treasure hunt. For what I know the items are confined to their home which they still live. I have searched high and low looking in closest, backrooms and under cabinets etc without success.
“Just a quick note to throw out there, if you have aging parents please, please, please in sure you have a conversation with them about their affairs and get copies of all their paperwork before old age sets in.”
My parents are not hoarders, but simply grew up in different times. Over the past fifty five years living in the same house they have saved a lot of items from paperwork dating back to 1938 to yesterday cardboard food boxes. Surly cardboard boxes should be recycled. In my search I found and opened the box from a TV I purchased for them ten years ago. What I found inside that box was short of a master piece. Within in the box was another box slightly smaller than the first and within that box as another box slightly smaller than the one before. Ten boxes deep it ends, the last box opens to an unopened box Corn Flakes cereal expiring September 2014. Now I know what they do in their spare time. As you can tell they are very thrifty with hiding items, for it took me months to find their trust paperwork etc. In any case their treasures are still at large and I have learned that I need to take the next step which is purchasing a metal detector.
I have done some research on detractors, but would like to open my dilemma to the experts on this forum. What metal detector should I purchase to specifically search for gold and other metals within an interior of wood framed home? Your input is appreciated by my parents and me.

 

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[Limitool]

My great Aunt used to go to a women's center behind my home about 30 years ago Mon.-Fri. She was 86 years old. She walked about 1/2 half mile both ways in town. Everyday she left she brought her 1/2pint of milk to my house on the way home for my children. One day she feel in my breezeway and broke her hip. I called ambulance and they arrived. When they did she handed me her purse and said to take care of it and please pay her home insurance. I said is their enough money and she said there's plenty. After awhile I went through her large black purse and she had just short of $15,000 dollars in cash. There was also many, many un-deposited dividend checks (SIGNED) totaling over $50,000 in her purse also she carried around. Later I discovered 25% of them were "outdated" for cashing and that she had 10's of thousands likewise at home. I felt sorry for her.... It was sad.

 

[Produce Guy]

When my great aunt died we happened to be on vacation in her town,I went over to her house with my dad and his sister and some of his brothers.They wanted just to throw out all of her stuff,but my dad said they should donate it to Goodwill.Will when I started to take the paperback books off the shelf dollar bills started to drop out from the pages($150) in all.We also found ,old $2 bills in the icebox ($200).In the coat rack by the front door was a bag that looked like a jacket,that had more than $5000 in it.She also left my brother and me and all my other cousins,stock in IBM & Kodak.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

You probably are going to have to search everything, by hand, one room at a time. Nothing leaves there unless you are absolutely sure there's nothing hidden in it. Clothes, books, food, cans, cleaning stuff, pictures, oven, fridge/freezer, cabinets, any type of boxes especially since they tend toward those. Any piece of any part of the house that can be removed has to be checked, vents, etc. Also furniture, see if money is stuffed in the chairs or sofa down under the cushions where the seat and back meet, under or behind drawers, etc.
Make sure you check sewing boxes tool boxes etc.
One thing that may help, try to think like they think, where would they hide stuff
A detector would only help if they hid jewelry, or coins in like the garden or by the back steps, etc. how likely are they to dig holes? It is some what difficult to search the inside of a house with a detector because of all the metal in it. You could run it over boxes and non metal stuff like clothes etc. but your probably better off hand checking it all.
Hope you find it all.

 

[empty_pockets]

.....Good luck on your adventure.

 

[OldJerseyGirl]

Check the freezer and frig.. too. Lots of old people hide money in the freezer.

 

[lostforever]

WOW!
Thanks for the ideas and stories................

 

[BC1969]

Find a old BFO detector if you need to search walls.

Mike

 

[Doubter in MD]

When my wife's uncle died we went over to clean out his room and donate hi clothing. He and his wife stayed in separate rooms. We found over $55,000 in cash. His wife had no idea that he had that amount of money stashed and she was shocked when we brought it to her.

 

[BC1969]

Nice to know there are still good honest folks out there.

Mike

 

[Fixitdave]

Might want to check chairs and table legs as some are hollow once you pull cap off the end.also some curtain rods are hollow.good luck happy huntin

 

[Dr. Syn]

Under/behind the drawers of anything. And look in the empty space once the drawer is removed. Behind the razor disposal slot in old medicine cabinets.
Check the steps of any stairwells. Pick up any loose rugs to look for loose floor boards. The things that most look like they belong can be the best place to hide something. My Gramps had a canning jar full of washers on his work bench. Well not quite full, part of the space was taken up by a roll of hundred dollar bills in the middle.

And if there are any outbuildings don't forget them, or fence posts, or trees,or such.

 

[stefen]

Hidden money and documents are a common thread with many families, and ours is similar.

Following our mothers funeral, an aunt asked us if we wanted anything from the safe.

We asked, "What safe?"

She told us about a safe hidden under a corner counter in the kitchen that she accessed many times for matta...

This was a home which non of our siblings had never resided in, so we were suprised...

In it we found a 3rd generation coin collection, Life Insurance doc's, Property Deeds, about 20 bank accounts...

We sold the home 6 months later, and if our aunt hadn't said anything, much would have been lost.

I know that when I die, my will contains a full outline of all assets, asset values and accounts and who to contact, and the like...absolutely no treasure hunts for my kids...

 

[Msbeepbeep]

One other thing. I have seen cans that open and stuff can be hidden in them. Some were spray cleaners. I also heard of some that are food cans they are weighted to feel full I think the bottom screws off.

Like I said you have to think like they think, and nothing leaves there unless it has been completely checked.
I wish you luck.

 

[cw0909]

My great Aunt used to go to a women's center behind my home about 30 years ago Mon.-Fri. She was 86 years old. She walked about 1/2 half mile both ways in town. Everyday she left she brought her 1/2pint of milk to my house on the way home for my children. One day she feel in my breezeway and broke her hip. I called ambulance and they arrived. When they did she handed me her purse and said to take care of it and please pay her home insurance. I said is their enough money and she said there's plenty. After awhile I went through her large black purse and she had just short of $15,000 dollars in cash. There was also many, many un-deposited dividend checks (SIGNED) totaling over $50,000 in her purse also she carried around. Later I discovered 25% of them were "outdated" for cashing and that she had 10's of thousands likewise at home. I felt sorry for her.... It was sad.

and if you come across uncashed checks, never fear, the bank wont take them, but the money is still someplace
depending on how long its been, could be in the co. escrow,or a state unclaimed fund, a friend almost threw out
some uncashed checks that were worth over 100K, thinking they were no good

 

[Limitool]

and if you come across uncashed checks, never fear, the bank wont take them, but the money is still someplace
depending on how long its been, could be in the co. escrow,or a state unclaimed fund, a friend almost threw out
some uncashed checks that were worth over 100K, thinking they were no good

It took awhile (long time) but we got all the checks from her purse, car and home and got them in order. Some were over 3 years old. But we eventually got all the money and many times even MORE. She had cash hidden everywhere in her old home. But can you imagine an old lady carrying around almost $15,000 in cash in her purse. Her and my uncle had many businesses throughout their lives and invested a lot of money in stocks and bonds. He died long before her and "business" just wasn't done right afterwards.