If these walls could talk, maybe they’d tell you about the treasure hiding inside them.
We’re talking specifically about the walls in the house belonging to Paul Narce, of Castillonnès, France, who died in 2024 at age 89. According to the U.K.’s The Times, Narce was known around town as a coin collector. Upon learning of his hobby from his neighbors, the notary of his estate decided to investigate.
The notary didn’t find anything of value at first while searching Narce’s house. Then, he found a chest built into a wall behind a picture, which contained a bevy of coins collected over a lifetime.
With no children or direct heirs, the coins went up for auction. The first lots brought in about $3.8 million.
“I have never seen such a major collection go on sale from the point of view of quantity and quality,” says coin expert Thierry Parsy.