HOLBROOK, Mass. (Dec. 1, 2014) – A $40 auction purchase ended with a lucrative discovery for the buyer.
Phil LeClerc bought the desk at an auction last week. He knew the desk needed some work—it was missing a few things, including a knob on one of the drawers.
While LeClerc looked through the desk for the missing knob, an envelope dropped out of a narrow opening. Inside, he found mature savings bonds worth $127,000.
He went back to the auction house to track down the owner, who had auctioned the desk to help his 94-year-old father.
“This man was getting his dad’s house ready for sale so he could pay for his care,” said Marg-E Kelley from Kelley Auctions. “It’s a lot of money! I mean, it’s going to change their lives. Completely change their lives.”
LeClerc said that particular type of desk is notorious for having hidden compartments. He never did find the missing knob, however.
