Inheriting a large house from your family can't be bad. But imagine then finding a huge haul of treasure once you moved in. Personally I'd be over the moon.
This is exactly what happened to one Frenchman, who has refused to be identified. He stumbled upon 100kg of gold hidden among the furniture after being gifted a stately home in a dead relative's will.
The heir discovered huge amounts of wealth in a number of 'hiding places' around the estate. Locations included under piles of linen, in tin boxes attached to the bottom of chairs, and even inside the bathrooms.
"There were 5,000 gold pieces, two bars of 12kg and 37 ingots of 1kg," auctioneer Nicolas Fierfort told the BBC.
The treasure is worth an estimated €3.5m (£3m) in total.
Mr Fierfort said he had visited the house in Evreux, Normandy, to value furniture the new owner was selling and had overlooked the gold, which was "extremely well hidden."
Gold coins became apparent after the owner started moving belongings around. He initially spotted a box of coins in a box under some furniture, then found more in a whisky box, before finding a staggering number of ingots.
"At that point he called his solicitor to make an inventory," Nicholas added.
According to certificates found in the deceased's estate, the gold was legally purchased in the 1950s and 1960s, and has already been sold on to buyers across the world.
It's all been sold already and it looks like the French government could be quids in, too, as the finder will be liable for 45 percent inheritance tax if the original owner did not declare his or her assets.
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Featured image credit: PA
Featured Image Credit:Topics: France