How to Find Hidden Treasures in Old Homes

People who have very old homes may not realize the secrets their homes are holding on to. The older the home is the more time there has been for items to fall between cracks, or to have been stashed for safe keeping. There are many places to look that are not places one would usually look. Most items were not left intentionally. Many have been out of sight and forgotten, others were stashed in a safe place not to be found again, and other things have simply been dropped and rolled out of sight. Here’s how to bring the forgotten treasure of your home out into the open again.

What you’ll need to find your homes secret and hiding treasures is a good flashlight. You’ll also likely need a container of some sort to hold your findings in as you search. What you’ll do is just that, search. There are many areas of your home where things may be hiding.

One of the areas that little treasures or antiques could be hiding is up in the attic. Maybe when you glance in it looks empty, or maybe not. If there are old boxes in your attic chances are they may contain very old items. Antiques are precious and valuable. Most antiques are not replaceable as they are no longer made. Look through old boxes carefully. You may be surprised at what you find. If your attic appears empty you may want to take a closer look. Get right in there and shine your light all over. Look in the deepest corners, up and down, and all around. Sometimes things can only been seen upon a care full inspection with a bright light.

Another place to look for hidden treasure is the opposite of the attic. The basement! Cellars often contain various items. They also usually have shelves and cabinets. Look everywhere, in everything, on top and on the bottom, inside and out. There are sure to be several items hiding in the basement, many of which have been there for a long, long time. Basements with dirt floors are often deceptive. The floor may appear to have nothing on it. However, what is just under the surface of the dirt can surprise you! Dig a little and uncover who knows what!

Yet another place that antiques or treasures may be hiding is under floor boards. In the very old houses there were generally plank wood floors. Often there are cracks and crevices between the floor boards. If someone dropped a handful of change on the floor two hundred years ago chances are that some of it rolled and fell down between the floorboards and that it is still there today. Shine your light down into the cracks and see what lies beneath the floors!

Another place where little treasure love to hide is in between the walls. Way back when people used to hide their important documents between walls, and even in wall hangings. People also used to stash money in the safest of places which often was behind a wall panel. You never know what you may uncover if you remove that one piece of paneling that looks as if it doesn’t quite fit in right. Maybe there’s a reason., and a treasure waiting to be found. Many homeowners find many things when they remodel and take old paneling or wall paper down. You just never know what’s behind the walls in a very old home.

Yet another place where treasure love to hid in in heat ducts. Most old homes have the fancy heat register covers that have designs in them. They are beautifully made. They have plenty of holes in their design to let the heat easily pass through, and anything small easily fall through. In the home my family just moved into I found an antique necklaces and some other jewelry in the bathroom heat duct. The necklace is a silver choker with sapphires, pearls and diamonds. It’s a late 1800 or early 1900’s piece. Who’d have thought?

The point is that things can hide in the oddest places. The way to find the little hidden treasures and antiques in an old home is to search for them. Get that flashlight and container ready and go on a treasure hunt! You are sure to find something spectacular! Thanks for reading and take care!