If you're going to throw something in the trash, you better know what it is.
These poor people learned that lesson the hard way, discarding priceless family heirlooms and cold hard cash alike.
Here are 10 things worth a fortune that folks literally threw away.
1
Bitcoin
In 2013, a man named James Howells mistakenly threw away a hard drive. That hard drive contained what now amounts to over $800 million in bitcoin, and sits somewhere beneath a Welsh landfill. Howells has tried very hard to find it, but recently accepted defeat.
2
A Mattress (And a Mother’s Life Savings)
An Israeli woman named Anat decided to get her mother a new mattress in 2009, throwing out the old one as a surprise. The only problem? The mother, who distrusted the banking system, had been saving money in the mattress for decades. The lost amount totalled around $1 million.
3
A Winning Lottery Ticket
In 2021, a Massachusetts woman named Lea Rose Fiega scratched a lottery ticket on her lunch break. After giving it a quick glance, she threw it away. Fortunately, the store owner noticed the ticket in his trash and alerted her that she had just won $1 million.
4
A Shoe Box
In 2012, a Galveston, Texas man decided to donate an old pair of shoes to charity. Unbeknownst to him however, his wife had been storing money in the old shoes for years. The lost amount totaled $3,300, their life savings, but they were fortunately able to retrieve it.
5
Apple I
While cleaning out her garage after her husband’s passing, a California woman gave what she thought was a junky old computer to a recycling company. The company identified it as an antique Apple I and sold it for $200,000. Despite many attempts to find the woman and split the money with her, they were unsuccessful.
6
Stradivarius Violin
An American violinist traveling in Germany accidentally left her priceless Stradivarius on a train’s luggage rack. Fortunately authorities were able to retrieve the $2.6 million instrument.
7
Wedding Dress
After her wedding, a Canadian woman named Tanya Walsh stored her dress in her late mother’s closet. But when her dad went to clean out the closet, he donated the dress’s box to Goodwill. Over five months later Walsh was able to retrieve the dress.
8
$5M in Diamonds
While workers at J. Birnbach Inc. were helping their boss move offices, they accidentally threw away three boxes filled with diamonds. A security guard discovered the prize and made out with many of them. Ultimately he was arrested, but many of the diamonds remained missing.
9
Engagement Ring
When a woman in Waxahachie Texas realized she’d accidentally thrown away her engagement ring, she quickly called the Turkey Creek Landfill on a Friday afternoon to help find it. Spectacularly, they did.
10
An Entire Art Installation
Working in collaboration with the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Bolzano Bozen, New York’s Museum of Modern Art displayed a contemporary work that featured broken bottles and confetti. Thinking it was all litter, museum janitors cleaned it all up and threw it away.
