Men Find Buried Treasure In Backyard

Choochoojr

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Box of riches dug up in Massachusetts backyard.
METHUEN, Mass. (AP) - It's the stuff of fantasies, and Tim Crebase found it buried under two feet of earth in his own backyard.

There, he and friend Barry Villcliff found a box stuffed with cash and gold and silver certificates, some more than a century old. The buried treasure is worth more than $100,000, according to a coin shop owner.

"I was thinking, 'I've never seen anything like this in my life,"' Domenic Mangano, owner of Village Coin Shop in Plaistow, N.H.

Crebase said the find came three weeks ago when he and Villcliff were trying to dig up a small tree. Crebase, 23, heard a thud and saw that he'd hit a piece of wood. Another look, and he saw the wood was part of a two-foot-wide box.

He ripped the top off and found nine rusted cans that he and Villcliff, 27, cracked open to find about 1,800 bills, including more than 900 $1 bills, 200 $2 bills, and 300 $20 bills dated from 1899 to 1929. There were also piles of gold and silver certificates and scores of notes from local banks in Methuen, Haverhill, Amesbury, Newburyport and beyond.

They took the stash to Mangano's shop later that day.

"I'm a pessimist; I was waiting until I got a professional review before I jumped to any conclusions," Villcliff said. "Tim, however, was singing and dancing. He was ranting like a rabid monkey."
 
Not only was it free, but they made a ton of money too! ;)

Must have been Spoofee members. ;)
 
That is AWESOME.. not only money, but a small part of history.
 
I can't get to the link. =/
 
Men who claimed to find buried treasure arrested

Men who claimed to find buried treasure arrested

Friday, April 29, 2005 Posted: 10:23 AM EDT (1423 GMT)

Timothy Crebase, above, and Barry Billcliff said they found old bank notes and billls in a backyard.

METHUEN, Massachusetts (AP) -- Two men who claimed in numerous national television interviews that they found buried treasure in the back yard of a home were arrested early Friday after being questioned by police, who said the money was stolen.

Investigators believe Barry Billcliff, 27, of Manchester, New Hampshire, and Timothy Crebase, 22, of Methuen, Massachusetts, found old bank notes and bills in a house where they were doing roofing work.

Both men were charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy and accessory after the fact, Lt. Kevin Martin said. They were to be arraigned Friday morning.

The men said they found 1,800 bank notes and bills dating between 1899 and 1928, with a face value of about $7,000.

Domenic Mangano, owner of the Village Coin Shop in Plaistow, New Hampshire, examined the find and estimated its value between $50,000 to $75,000.

The men's stories, though, prompted some suspicions because of discrepancies. The depth of the buried crate, for example, ranged from 9 inches to 2 feet.

The men also gave conflicting reasons for digging in the yard of the house Crebase rents.

They told one reporter they were digging a hole to plant a tree.

In other reports, they said they were trying to remove a small tree or dig up the roots of a shrub that was damaging the home's foundation.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/29/buried.treasure.ap/index.html
 
Disappointing. That would have been so cool..
 
The best part is that if they just quietly took their "treasure" and sold it on eBay, brought it to various coin shops, they may have never been found out.
 
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