Posted on 06/02/2024 12:37:15 PM PDT by algore
A New York City couple got their hands on about $100,000 in cash from a safe they pulled up from a lake while 'magnet fishing' in Corona Park.
To pull of this unique feat, James Kane and Barbie Agostini attached a neodymium magnet - which go for as little as $21.99 on Amazon - to a fishing rod and reeled the old safe out from the depths of the water.
And at first, it was a mundane discovery because as Kane told NY1: 'We have found plenty of safes before, this is just what a magnet fisher does.'
The couple explained that the safes they find are usually empty, save for some plastic baggies that once held cash. But after they wrenched this one open, it became clear that they'd stumbled on quite the score.
'We pulled it out and there were two stacks of freaking hundreds. Big stacks,' Kane said.
Agostini thought Kane was joking at first, but when she saw the bills inside plastic baggies, she said she 'lost it.'
Unfortunately for them, water did manage to work its way inside the baggies and damage the hundred dollar bills.
It's unclear if they'll be able to cash in the bills, but there is a chance that the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing will redeem their money.
If more than 50 percent of the currency is identifiable, a lawful holder of the notes 'may receive a redemption at full value,' according to the BEP website.
Kane told NY 1 that he's always wanted to become 'a treasure hunter,' and when he and Agostini were bored during the pandemic, they decided to take up magnet fishing.
'We call it the poor man's treasure hunting,' Kane said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
In New York? Oh, definitely. And they'll likely be charged and found guilty of 34 felonies.
For that reason, I would NEVER tell anyone. I would just spend it, or invest it.
Like on Ozark, take it to a casino, get $100k worth of chips, play nickle-dime roulette or blackjack for a few minutes, then cash out. Clean as a whistle.
Sure, keep records but just quietly spend the money. I know they say it was "damaged" but just getting wet does not harm bills. They are made of rag.
Did they post their photos and home address on facebook? Morons.
What are the chances that its counterfeit?
now just why would you tell anyone!!?? especially the media!!
Agree. If I found something like that, there is no way I would share the info with ANYONE except my wife. In fact if I were to find rare gold coins, I’d go through the effort to melt them down into bars. I’d probably even through in some other metal to insure it doesn’t have any “identifiable” signature.
One thing I learned in commercial real estate back in the early 80’s. The more people have to gain, the more fervor they will use to take you down. Heck, even the novel, “The Testament” addresses this issue.
I’m surprised that safes are a common find for them and they are pulling them up with a fishing rod.
In the 1970s my father bought a magnet from the Edmund Scientific catalog. The magnet alone weighed enough that I would not put it on a fishing rod. We used a rope to drag it under fishing piers. All we found were lots of pocket knives and an occasional non functioning fishing reel.
There were a lot of gold coins that were never circulated when it became illegal to own them. I’ve heard of people finding fairly large caches of these coins and the government confiscating them because they are provably stolen government property. That’s why you should melt them down and throw in some trace elements.
Tell the world you found something of great value and it won’t be yours for long. Did anybody watch the remake of “The Italian Job”?
They'll eventually trace it to you if you're using this as cash.
Have you seen the movie “No Country for Old Men”?
Guy finds a bag full of money. Tells his wife—only. And that’s how it _starts!_
The Secret Service will find you quickly if you're using the old bills (they'll think it's counterfeit)
Hope it wasn’t gold certificates.
$100K is nothing to sneeze at, but I bet when that safe went into the water, before our modern monetary debasement, it was probably the equivalent of $1 million
—see “A Simple Plan”—with Bill Paxton—
They’ll eventually trace it to you
Number one reason you never tell anybody you found money
There’s cameras everywhere. If you’re using cash. The the dollar bills are old. Eventually, they’ll trace it to you. Unless you live in Nogales, Arizona. Then maybe they won’t bother.
Those $100 bills are no older than 2013.
This story stinks.
Why melt the rare gold coins down?
You lose most of the value right off and you’d still have to go through a second person to convert it into cash.
What am I missing?
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