Auctioneer Makes Astonishing Cash Discovery in Donated Folgers Coffee Can

A Maryland auctioneer found a remarkable trove of cash inside an old Folgers coffee can someone had donated.

Dawn Bunting, owner of Bunting Online Auctions and Market, received a call from the lawyers of the anonymous donor who had unexpectedly inherited a loved one's entire estate.

"She didn’t know that he was living there," Bunting explained to Fox35 Orlando. "She said he left New York 40 years ago and hadn’t talked to him.”

The woman brought the items to Bunting simply to get rid of them. Neither she nor the auctioneer expected there to be anything of value in the lot. Amongst dozens of “museum-type” ship models, “some gorgeous French furniture”, and a vintage train set was the old Folgers can. It sat undisturbed for weeks before Bunting finally opened it up.

"It sat in the corner for probably four weeks,” she said. "I thought, ‘What could be in that coffee can,’ and then I saw it was full of all of these bank envelopes full of 100s.”

The assorted bills added up to more than $60,000. The money was returned to the donor, who certainly didn’t expect the cleaning task to pay out so mightily. "When she came, we had it in this bag and we just sort of dumped it out, and she was shocked. She was pretty speechless," Bunting recalled.

But Bunting says it’s still a mystery how the cash got into the coffee can in the first place.

"We think it was someone who probably lived through the great depression and sort of didn’t trust banks, but he was also a coin collector,” Bunting explained. “We’re just thinking he’s one of those people that wanted it around.”

While finding stashed objects is a fairly consistent occurrence in Bunting’s business, she said this one was by far the most thrilling. "We were all so excited!” she enthused. “We get all kinds of fun things here, and we have a lot of fun.”

Bunting Online Auctions and Market holds a weekly bidding each Thursday at 7 p.m. There are many treasures on offer, but unfortunately, none that contain a $60K payday (that we know of).