A man decided to purchase a second-hand safe after seeing it listed online but ended up calling the police once he discovered what it contained
A savvy shopper who bought an old safe for £12.99 ended up almost £30,000 richer after he looked inside. The man decided to stump up for the second-hand safe after seeing it listed online.
After looking inside the safe when he got home, he discovered a 250-gram gold bar had been hidden inside a secret compartment. The man, who lives in the small town of Trostberg in Bavaria, never expected to make such a discovery.
Based on the current prices of gold, the bar is thought to be worth around £28,500. Police officers believe that the bar was probably left inside by mistake.
They explained that the man contacted them because he was worried about where he stood according to the law. Trostberg police spokesman Nicolai Weiss told German newspaper Bild: “The buyer contacted us. He didn’t want to do anything illegal and wanted to know what to do.”
The officers spoke to the safe’s seller who said he put it up for sale on behalf of his 90-year-old grandfather, who probably left the ingot inside by accident. Weiss says it is now up to the buyer and seller to work out what happens with the bar.
He continued: “The two parties must now come to an agreement regarding ownership of the gold, or settle the matter through the civil courts, with the assistance of a solicitor.”
It isn’t the first remarkable discovery in the German region either. In 2016 a teenage girl discovered a gold bar when swimming in Koenigssee lake, which is said to house Nazi treasures.
The 16-year-old holidaymaker was swimming in the lake when she discovered the 500g (1lb) ingot glimmering about two metres beneath the water. She later handed it in to the local police force.
Rumours at the time suggested the bar is part of a legendary hoard that was hidden in the lake, which is situated not far from Adolf Hitler’s Obersalzberg mountain retreat.
German officials however quashed any Nazi connotations and said the bar dated from a different time period. They went on to say the area was combed for more gold but nothing was found.
The bullion was marked with the foundry name but the serial number had been scratched off. They however hoped modern technology would allow them to reunite it with its rightful owner.
Elsewhere, a town in east Germany has been allowed to keep 10 gold bars that were discovered by a municipal worker who was mowing the lawns. No one was able to credibly prove they owned the bars within the statutory holding period.
It means the small town, near Dresden, will be allowed to keep the bars. Heiko Wersig, mayor of Bannewitz, says the future of the bars are set to be decided when the local council next meets.
He went on to say that the plan is for local community clubs to benefit from the find. Speaking to German newspaper dpa, he said: “Specifically, this concerns associations involved in youth work and in preserving local traditions and customs.”
The bars currently remain in police custody. They are thought to be worth around £34,600 in today’s market.
