His Grandmother Asked Him To Clean The House, Was Surprised To Find A Safe In The Closet

This is a story that will make you want to clean the house! This man had no idea what he was going to discover when he agreed to help his grandmother with this task. In the end, he found something priceless about his family… but was it really something that he wanted to find out?

He Made An Incredible Discovery

This man entered the room and saw what seemed like a mess of things that had been accumulated over the years. The good thing was that he knew his grandma and was familiar with her creative process. Even though he was armed with this knowledge, he had no idea where to begin as he stood right in the middle of the ceramics room. Overwhelmed by the clutter, he started to clear the items in the room. This was how he found the safe! He was excited as he tried to pry it open. However, he had no idea that he would stumble into some unbelievable stuff about his very own family by doing so.

A Call From His Elderly Grandmother

When his grandmother rang him up, he was more than happy to lend her a hand. The two of them were close, so he was willing to do anything for her. They had a family motto: “double happiness.” It meant that the other would be happy as long as one of them was. When he entered the front door, he inhaled the smell of fresh bread. It made him feel right at home, but his grandma had a request for him! She wanted him to help her clear out the ceramics room. He had no problems helping her out with this, but he could no longer turn back as soon as he opened that door.

It Was Going To Be A Long Day

The door to the room was stuck. He managed to squeeze into the room and saw all the clutter inside. The man sighed, knowing that there was a long day ahead of him. It was a good thing that he did not mind going through her things because there was always something fascinating down there. However, he did not have a single clue about what was lying in wait for him.

There Was So Much Clutter There

There was a lot of clutter in the room. He saw paints, pottery, tools, and more materials in there. Where was he even supposed to begin? He decided that he was going to split the objects into piles to “keep” or “trash.” While he was doing this, something interesting caught his eye. Even though he was intrigued, not once did he suspect what was actually lying inside.

Checking Out The Closet

The closet was made of wood and lying against the wall. However, there was so much clutter that he could not get to it without first clearing everything. The closet doors were trapped by various bits of wood as well. He could tell that it was an old piece of furniture, but this did not explain why it looked like it had not been touched in a while. The closet became his sole mission, so he decided to handle the rest of the clutter for a different time. He was starting to get excited! What could possibly be inside?

Time To Clear It All Out

Upon opening the closet, he saw that there was more clutter inside. His excitement started to fade once he began to clear out the mess. He assumed that it was going to lead to a great discovery, but was he right about that? While going through the things that his grandma had collected, an object at the bottom of the closet piqued his attention. The slats on the closet floor were wedged in there and seemed loose. Excitedly, he took off the wooden boards and checked out the floor. After taking out all the clutter, he got a better look at the thing that caught his eye. Let us just say that it did not disappoint!

It Had A False Bottom

There were more wooden slats that he had to put aside. They were clearly hiding something because he found a false closet base. All the while, he was thinking about how strange the situation is. After all, why else would you need a false bottom if you were not concealing something important? He then brushed the debris aside and could finally see the object. Even though he was excited, he also felt a little guilty.

He Found A Safe Down There

When he brushed the gravel aside, he saw that there was a metallic object that had a round bit of plastic at the center. Right away, he knew what this was. There was an old combination safe below the closet! As soon as he saw this, he forgot about cleaning the room and went to his grandmother to ask about it. However, she had no idea what was inside of it or who put it inside. In his mind, this only made it all that much more exciting. After asking his grandma if he could open it, she told him to go ahead! What did he find inside? All we can tell you at this point is that he did not know what sort of secrets he would learn.

It Had To Be Pried Open

This was not something that you find every single day! Using his phone camera, he made sure to record every step of the way. Later on, he took to ‘Imgur’ to post the photos under the username ‘Todirerl.’ This man was able to pry the safe open with the help of his dad. At first, it did not look like there was anything of value inside. However, they found many interesting things when they started digging through the contents. He was about to learn more about his family tree, but he did not know it yet.

Everything Was Old And Rusty

When it comes to size, it was around medium. He assumed that it was going to be full of valuables. This was not the case, however. At first, he noticed old some paper, as well as something bundled in black cloth. His heart started to pound. He went through the contents and could tell that this was something unusual! There were a lot of questions running in his mind. What on earth was it and who put it there?

An Altered Dante’s Inferno Quote

After inspecting the pieces of paper, he saw something ominous on one of them. It said, “Abandon All Regret Ye Who Enter Here.” This is actually an altered line from “Dante’s Inferno.” The original quote said ‘hope’ and not ‘regret.’ This was when he figured out that the safe was his late grandpa’s. There were a lot of mementos inside! However, what caught his attention was a very familiar insignia.

A Strange Yet Familiar Insignia

They were fixated on the symbol lying on the black cloth. There was no doubt that they had seen it somewhere before, but where? He snapped a photo of it and showed it to his grandmother. This was a symbol that had been carved in his memory since he was young. Something told him that it was important. He wondered if this was their family sigil, but his grandma could not place it either. At any rate, there were other things for Todirerl to explore! This was not the final surprise they found in there.

A Black Cloth Over It

Carefully, he started to unfold the cloth and saw that there were several items tucked in there. He saw a leather pouch, a lamp, a plastic box, a pen, and two photographs. Among these things, the photographs had been the one to help him figure out what sort of treasure this actually was. The items were all rusty and worn, but they made him feel like he had gone back in time. Upon taking a closer look at the photos, he was shocked by what he saw. Not once did he expect to find something like this!

Looking At Old Photographs

In the photo, there was a lady dressed in clothes that were appropriate for the time. After some time, Todirerl realized that the woman was actually the grandmother of his own grandfather. It was shocking to find something like this. So many years have passed since this was taken. He was thrilled by his discovery, but this was not the last of it either. What else was lying in wait beneath the closet?

A Photo Of A Dapper Man

However, the second photograph sent chills down his spine! Could this be what he thought it was? In the next photo, he saw a man sporting round glasses and a dapper suit. The person in the photo had a pipe in hand. In the end, he found out that this was the father of his grandfather! The photos were yellowing and worn, with evidence of moisture damage on the corners. Despite this, they were priceless heirlooms. He found something else that would shed a light on the story of his family…

Treasure After Treasure

Every single item inside the safe had great value for every single person in the family. These objects helped them find out more about their ancestors. Everyone was shocked when they continued to find more items as they opened the compartments. There was also a gold pocket watch in the pouch! Was it worth any money? This was what Todirerl was wondering as he turned it over. To his shock, little scraps of paper tumbled out of it. What did any of this mean?

A Pristine Collection Of Stamps

He inspected the papers to see what sort of mysteries they hid. When he did so, he could not help but cover his mouth in shock. He was looking at a pristine stamp collection! The stamps came from different countries, some of which did not even exist any longer. Among other things, there were stamps from places formerly known as Katanga, Zaire, the Soviet Union, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. It turned out that these items were souvenirs from all the adventures that his late grandfather went on. However, what about the white plastic box that he found with this collection?

Plenty Of Shiny Valuables

After opening the white box, it looked like he found a number of coins from some time ago. As you can imagine, he was shocked by how amazing this day went. It all started with a call from his grandma, but here he was diving into the family’s past. As he checked out the coins, he found something that made this man feel proud to be a member of this family. What exactly did he stumble upon now?

There Was Also A Coin Collection

Just like the stamps, the coins also came from different countries across the world. He found coins from Cuba, Venezuela, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Southern Rhodesia. The last one is now better known as Zimbabwe. There were rare coins in there, such as the 1921 American silver dollar that is believed to be worth a pretty penny. While they were valuable, it is priceless in terms of sentimental value as well.

Proud To Be A Part Of The Family

Apart from these coins, there was also a pin with a crest and a World War I medal inside. He assumed that these items were given to his great-grandfather after his service in the First World War. The crest was especially fascinating since it had a lion that was either the royal arms of Scotland or the coat of arms of Norway. A commenter said that the British Empire gave it to troops from the Commonwealth who served during the war. After posting his findings online, Todirerl finally found out what the insignia on the black cloth really was! Commenters told him that it was the Chinese character for “double happiness,” which was the motto of the family. We are so glad that he eventually solved the mystery!