21 Homeowners Who Were Lucky Enough to Find True Relics When Renovating Their Place

Many people yearn to have their own homes. Perhaps for reasons of price or to preserve historic places, they choose to look for old houses. Once the contract is closed and the keys are handed over, the arduous task of remodeling or redesigning it according to their tastes begins, and some may be in for a few surprises.

Bright Side compiled images that were captured by some new owners who found some time capsules inside their properties.

1. “A massive wooden barrel with no lid in the attic of a house from the 1890s”

2. “Bought my house 6 months ago and found this hidden safe when removing an old stove that was left here.”

3. “Bought a lake home and found 3 of these in the water. Criss-cross stack of corrugated pipes wrapped in plastic netting.”

• It is a fish crib. It is a device to give baby fish a place to hide from the big boys. They also make for some good fishing as the lunkers will hang around hoping for a few little ones to come out. © chefranden / Reddit

4. “My friend’s mate found an invitation to Walt Disney’s daughter’s wedding, dated 1954.”

5. “A demo team pulled this out of a fireplace in a 1950s house we are renovating.”

• In Chinese culture, bats stand for good fortune. The scene is populated with good luck symbols. Also, starring 2 magpies for double happiness. The deer is for longevity and prosperity. © snakesoup88 / Reddit

6. “When you pull up nasty carpet and find the original 1941 hardwood:”

7. “We bought a house built in 1976 and found this pair of Adidas sneakers. Original packaging, receipt dated 1979, look unworn.”

• When these got retro’d as the Racing 1 a couple years ago they went for about $110-$120. © notevaluatedby*** / Reddit

8. “This old well inside a 1700s renovation I’m working on in Chester County, PA”

9. “I found this old floor lamp in the basement (1917 craftsman).”

“Today I restored it with all new wires, sockets, switches, and a lampshade from the antique mall.”

10. “Took off some ugly ’80s wallboard and discovered windows in my new 1930s home.”

11. “Buying a house with this giant monstera growing in an orangery.”

12. “Just some fun stuff I found in the walls and nooks of my 1870 house.”

13. “Found surprise hardwood a year after moving in, thinking there wasn’t any in this room.”

“The house was built in 1869 and there are a lot of additions and removed walls. Thought the carpeted area was maybe part of an addition. Nope, original hardwood under it.”

14. “Renovating the flooring on my 1800s-era home, and found a newspaper advert for the Titanic (Copenhagen, Denmark).”

15. “A 135-year-old fixer-upper has loads of issues, but came with this radiator.”

16. “2 unexpected finds in the 2 barns that belong to our house”

17. “Bought a house built in 1890, and here are some finds I found today in 2 different attics!”

18. “Original painted flooring in the closets of our 1928 story-and-a-half”

19. “Found this with other fireplace tools in a house I bought. Smells vaguely of asphalt. What is it?”

• They’re also commonly called “fire starter pots.” I remember these from my great-grandfather’s fireplace. It was filled with kerosene. Made it really easy to get a fire going. You just lit the kerosene-soaked stone on fire and placed it under the logs. Although I also remember, even as a young kid, that it seemed really unsafe having a pot filled with kerosene just sitting there. © loondawg / Reddit

20. “My father found an old choker mousetrap in his kitchen ceiling while he was renovating his circa 1780 house.”

21. “Found under the floor of the house we’re renovating — had one back in 1976 when I was 5-ish.”

What antiques or strange objects have you found when you moved into a new property or while taking a walk outdoors?