He noticed that the letter was addressed to him, but there was no return address, something was wrong.
He took the letter and used it to reference the ground around him. His wife was doubted the entire thing. She told him that she shouldn't have done it.
The Postmaster
Brad Norman was the postmaster at the post office in town. He had worked there for many years and normally did the monotonous job of sorting finance reviews, approvals, and many, many meetings. But one day everything would change.
Norman got up to a normal sunny day. His wife had breakfast prepared for him, he felt blessed.
Another Morning
He kissed his wife good morning as she gave him his coffee. He had just enough time to eat his food and get to work by 8 in the morning.
He finished his breakfast and kissed his wife goodbye before leaving for work. After getting there he was ready for another boring day at the office.
A Busy Day
He sat down at his desk and looked down at everything he'd have to do during the day. The work had been laid out before him by his secretary.
He got a glass of water and sat down. But after getting through five papers he noticed something off.
Mysterious Letter
The letter just said "Postmaster, Newago Michigan". He looked at it but noticed that there was no return address.
But he saw a stamp that read "Received Unsealed". He was left scratching his head, where was the note from.
Another Envelope
He decided to open up the letter and noted how old the letter was. The ink had faded long ago and was barely legible. He unfolded the letter and started to read it.
He squinted his eyes to try and read the ink. But when he realized what it read he started to feel the sweat on his brow.
The Civil War
He now knew what he was looking at. The letter was 100 years old or more, where on Earth had it come from?
The letter spoke of a young man and his journey through the American civil war. His hands started trembling, he had a piece of American history in his hands.
Unexpected Treasure Hunt
But there was more to it, the letter contained a map scrawled at the bottom. The soldier marks a location with an X, saying that it was for if he didn't make it.
Norman had no idea if this was a real letter or if he would be led astray - but he knew that he had to get out of the office. He brought his wife in to take a look at this letter.
A Good Feeling
Norman's wife was convinced that the letter was real. The letter really was from the Civil war! And it captured the memories of the young soldier.
He and his wife followed the map to the woods near their town. But they never could have expected what they found.
Second Thoughts
Norman’s wife hesitated; “If this is real, should we not give this to the authorities? Maybe we shouldn’t do this”, she said. But Norman’s curiosity was too great.
His wife followed him up the path detailed on the map. They weaved in and out of trees and bushes, following the instructions until they arrived at the spot marked in the civil war letter.
Bingo!
“Well, this is it”, Mark declared. He started to dig while Norman’s wife looked at the letter, double-checking they were in the right spot. But her thoughts were interrupted.
A quiet thud followed but a ‘clink’ pierced through the air. The couple were startled. They looked at each other in awe and got down on their hunkers. Then they saw it.
A Tin Can
A tin can broke through the surface. Norman dug his hands around the can and pulled it out. Tentatively, he looked inside. “You’re not going to believe this”, he said.
Norman’s wife moved to his side and peered inside. Her eyes darted open at the contents within the old can. “Oh my god”, she whispered. What was it?
Coins!
The can was full of coins. But not just any old coins. After gently wiping the mud away, they held them under the light of the day.
They were old. Real old. The first one was dated 1886! And the mysterious stash of the soldiers' wealth didn’t disappoint. There were over 100 of them! But were they valuable?
Authentic
The couple couldn’t believe their eyes. It almost felt like a prank but they felt certain it wasn’t. Still, they decided it was better to be safe than sorry.
They kept the letter and coins safe as they booked an appointment with an expert historian. Within five minutes of assessing their find, they were deemed authentic. But what were they worth?
A Small Fortune!
The coins Norman and his wife found were deemed rare and collectible coins. The face value of all the coins was a whopping $28,000!
The letter was given to their local museum as a re-enactment of the times that produced them. The family of the soldier was never found so the coins stayed in the lucky couple’s hands.