The Outside of This Old Florida House Looks Like a Run-Down Shack — but Hidden Inside the Walls Was a Secret Treasure

On the outside, it looked like a run-down shack, but inside the old house held a secret treasure.

The city of St. Cloud, Florida, had long gotten complaints about the decrepit home, whose most recent owner, Lamarr LoMax Lowe, abandoned the place last year after wracking up more than half a million dollars in code enforcement fines, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Image via Orlando Sentinel

The place was a mess on the inside, and after code enforcement officers condemned it, the city demolished the home.

Image via Orlando Sentinel

But amid all the trash, workers found an enormous load of treasure: 60 pounds of silver coins in pickle jars.

Image via Orlando Sentinel

"It was like a treasure hunt … the more you dug the more you found," said city employee Melissa Howes. "We thought we might be able to keep it like finders keepers, but it was city property."

The coins were discovered during the home's demolition in April, but the city's police chief, Pete Gauntlett, waited until last week to reveal the cache to the public.

Image via Orlando Sentinel

As the Sentinel reported:

The booty included 861 half dollars, 1,016 quarters, 202 dimes and three nickels, police records show.

The oldest spotted among the half dollars was dated 1917 and the most recent was a 1964 Kennedy half dollar.

Gauntlett speculated the coins began being hidden in the walls during the Great Depression when Floridians and others lost faith in banks. The practice continued until at least 1964 by a previous owner.

"We're going to have them appraised to see if they're worth more by weight or as collectible coins," said Gauntlett of their eventual sale.

Silver currently sells for about $20 an ounce.

(H/T: Yahoo News)

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