The $40 table with a hidden drawer blew my mind

So I was scrolling Facebook Marketplace last Tuesday and saw this beat up oak end table listed for $40 by a guy in Flint. The photos were terrible, just a blurry shot of it in his garage with a snow shovel leaning on it. I almost scrolled past, but something about the legs looked like old hand carved stuff, so I drove out there. While I was loading it into my truck, he mentioned he bought it at an estate sale and never even opened the drawer, said it was stuck. Got it home, popped the stuck drawer with a butter knife, and there was a secret compartment behind it with a 1942 ration book and a love letter folded up inside. The letter was from a soldier to his wife, talking about wanting to plant a garden when he got back. I ended up tracking down the family through a local history group, mailed them the letter, and they sent me a $100 gift card and a photo of the soldier. The table itself is still worth maybe $20, but that letter made my whole week. Has anyone else ever found something weird hidden in a piece of secondhand furniture, or am I the only one who checks every drawer for secret panels now?

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barnes.jamie2d ago

Now I'm gonna have to start kicking every armoire I see at Goodwill like I'm testing for a secret Narnia. Kudos for tracking down the family though, most people would have just tossed that letter straight in the trash. That soldier probably rolled over in his grave happy knowing his words made it home 80 years late. My luck I'd find a drawer full of expired coupons and a dead mouse.