# HELP! Discovered a time capsule. Advice welcome



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Today I decided to move my router to a different area in my home. Doing so required me to get into the attic to run cable. While I was up there I discovered a briefcase wrapped in a trash bag. I brought it down and had to bust open the 2 locked clasps with a prybar. Inside was a treasure trove of WW2 memorabilia! There are all sorts of medals that were obviously removed from dead nazis. And quite a few coins and some paper money from the time. Other things included a few newspapers, a watch, various allied medals, and 2 books detailing the surrender of both the Japanese and the Germans. I have no idea who these things belonged to and am at a loss of how to proceed from here. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!


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## Dubyagee (Nov 9, 2012)

Who lived there before you?


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

I would go to town hall and get a copy of the property records to see who was the owner at the time. Being WWII stuff I doubt the original owner is still alive but his next of kin can be found pretty easily today on the interwebs. I would start there, I am sure the family members would be very grateful to get the stuff back. Of course if you can't find the guy I am sure you can sell the memorabilia for a nice piece of change to a collector and get yourself some nice prep items ;-)


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

No idea about that. Maybe the tax office can tell me?


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> No idea about that. Maybe the tax office can tell me?


each time there is a real estate transaction it is recorded in the deed at your municipality. Just get a copy of the deed and it will say the names and dates people transferred ownership of the property.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Recorder of deeds.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Truthfully, I would not worry so much about axis memorabilia and the average WWII veteran (like my still living Father-In-Law) would be not less than 90 years old. I would worry about getting any medals earned by the previous owner back to his family. Aside from that I would say it would be worthy of donation to a regional historic society, archive or museum.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

It could belong to any of previous people that have lived there. How old is the house? Are there initials on the briefcase or any type of writing in the books?


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Well a person could take some close up pics and peddle them on ebay if they were so inclined. Might fetch a tidy sum. Bound to be some well heeled collectors out there in the world who would like such stuff. That be as a last resort if the rightful owner cannot be located of course. Kindly keeps us posted.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

A little back story: I've been here for five years now. This property was purchased via a real estate agency so I will have to dig to find out who the previous owners were. Easy enough it seems. If I am unable to find the family I will NOT be selling this stuff. It is f-word-deleted American history. I would rather pass it down than sell it. Even without the knowledge of who it may have belonged to... That said I would like to know if there is any value held by these things. Perhaps the local pawn shop could give me an idea?


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

There is a huge sentimental value if you can find the identity of the person who stashed the briefcase there. Perhaps you could see if there is a historian available at the local college?


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> A little back story: I've been here for five years now. This property was purchased via a real estate agency so I will have to dig to find out who the previous owners were. Easy enough it seems. If I am unable to find the family I will NOT be selling this stuff. It is f-word-deleted American history. I would rather pass it down than sell it. Even without the knowledge of who it may have belonged to... That said I would like to know if there is any value held by these things. Perhaps the local pawn shop could give me an idea?


Pawn shops know less than you do on those items and will not give you a true idea of value. Do some searching on eBay for the individual items and see what they have recently sold for. Keep in mind a whole collection will be worth more than individual stuff.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Don't sell these items. You just won't make money and in truth they probably aren't worth a fortune anyway. Donate them.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

If you have time go to the court house and look for the recorder of deeds. Its supposed to be public information, but you own the house so why wouldn't they give you the info?

My local place has records going back to 1836. Be prepared because everything before 1995 is on paper or micro film. Some of them have their public records online, but they charge a fee.

There was also some type of law about memorabilia and selling it. It would be terrible to be anywhere near a pawn shop with that case.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> A little back story: I've been here for five years now. This property was purchased via a real estate agency so I will have to dig to find out who the previous owners were. Easy enough it seems. If I am unable to find the family I will NOT be selling this stuff. It is f-word-deleted American history. I would rather pass it down than sell it. Even without the knowledge of who it may have belonged to... That said I would like to know if there is any value held by these things. Perhaps the local pawn shop could give me an idea?


Antiques roadshow


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Don't be passing it on to someone else like the real estate agency. It is not their's.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Two hours at your county court house will give you the owners names, . . . and maybe with a little luck, . . . any property they may have purchased since then (giving you their last known addresses).

From a personal standpoint, . . . I can tell you that there are those of us who treasure those pieces of our family's history, . . . and would be super thrilled to have them. 

I have three things from my WW2 Army father: a copy of his separation papers, his last billfold, and the flag from his casket. Nothing more. I would seriously love to have those items you describe if they were in fact my father's.

Please, . . . spend the time tracking down the descendants. Most likely, the smiles, hugs, and handshakes you will get from them will be memories you will cherish forever.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

Keep your mouth shut about what you have when you go to the court house to find out about the previous owner. Their have been many instances of persons having their newly found treasure confiscated as public domain.

Don't tell any one shit until you know what you have.


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

bigwheel said:


> Well a person could take some close up pics and peddle them on ebay if they were so inclined. Might fetch a tidy sum. Bound to be some well heeled collectors out there in the world who would like such stuff. That be as a last resort if the rightful owner cannot be located of course. Kindly keeps us posted.


Be careful though, I think places like ebay bans anything with Nazi symbols on them.

Honestly, if they were really important to someone, they wouldn't be up in the attic, nor would they be left behind on the sale of the house. My Grandfathers WWII medals, photos etc are hanging in my study with his picture in the middle of all of it (cherished, preserved and sentimental). Sounds like someone just threw them up there and was too worried about the inheritance. I wouldn't spend time to get it back to the person because they obviously didn't care. Keep it, display it, pass it down to a vet, frame it and give it to your local VFW or American Legion or donate it to places that have this stuff on display. I know the Smokey mountain knife works in TN has tons of this stuff on display.


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## Mule13 (Dec 30, 2012)

go to your local DAV or Am Vets building or call them and tell them the story, they'll probably help you find the rightful owner.
get a pciture of the stuff and post it here so we can see it first 


Survival beat me to it lol


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

If you bought the house at least here you own what is in it. Now there maybe a case where something should be returned, as the right thing to do. Metals were commonly picked up not necessarily off dead bodies. 
Any important family records should be turned over if you can figure out who should get them.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Great find! I don't know enough about that stuff to give any real advice. Only think I will say is you might want to look into any legal aspect if some medals were taken off of Nazi soldiers.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

I am going to be a jerk...

chances are the owner is dead...

when you bought the house... all things inside transferred to you... you are the owner... what YOU decide to do is good


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

If I were in your shoes, I would want to return those items to the owner or his heirs. Figuring out who they are will take a bit of work with deeds and possibly wills, but the satisfaction of connecting some family history with the family again is worthwhile. Local veterans may know what WWII veteran lived in that house as well.

My guess is the vet is deceased and the heirs don't know the stuff exists.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I think it would be a very interesting journey to try and find the veteran or person who knew something about the person who collected the medals etc. You never know the outcome but the potential to learn a story or make new friends would be pretty cool. Maybe you'll learn something about your house too.

Its the stories and experiences that make our lives rich. Good luck and keep us posted!


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

Sounds like a ww2 vets collection that died in that house...

If I was in your shoes, would go down to the local war museum and "lone" the find to them... 

I wouldn't make any effort to find the owners after seeing so many medals in pawn shops.... (So many s...s of grand kids pawning grandpa's medals for quick cash) (not saying all are like that, but the ones that aren't would respect the loning of medals to a organization that will truly make good use out of it) 

My 2 cents


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Lots of good advice and thanks to all. I am going to talk to a few neighbors and ask around for info leading to the family. If that doesn't work I will check with the tax office. I will keep yall posted on any progress. Maybe I'll post pics tonight. Thanks again.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> No idea about that. Maybe the tax office can tell me?


Recorder of Deeds Office, County Records.


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## dsdmmat (Nov 9, 2012)

Cal the local news and put it in the local museum or the lost history show on the history channel they would probably help get to the bottom of it.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

I would love to see some pic's, Ark! 
If it were me, I would try to find the heirs.


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## OC40 (Sep 16, 2014)

I'd love to see a photo or two, I'm always curious. Most everyone else hit the same points I would of.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

In Washington state you can get the tax and deed information to any property through the internet. It is the property tax information center.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Some of the stuff. Posting from a phone but you should be able to click on the pics to see them bigger.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

That looks interesting. This is what I found of the one in the case.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_Good_Conduct_Medal

Is that the one?


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

James m said:


> That looks interesting. This is what I found of the one in the case.
> 
> http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_Good_Conduct_Medal
> 
> Is that the one?


Yep that's it. Interesting that medal didn't show up until '71 according to the link you posted. Wonder if it was the same guy? And NG as well...


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I think it said they stopped using it in '71


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Thanks for the pictures.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I would take the coins to a well known numismatic store and have them appraised for insurance reasons.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

The presence of the Japanese currency, etc. suggests the fellow might have been part of the Occupation army.


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## AlabamaJoe (Jan 6, 2015)

Interesting stuff, I wouldn't assume that necause it was all up in the attic and forgotten about that it wont be wanted by the family. My grandad was reluctant to talk about the war, he found it quite upsetting, even when he was an old man. He didn't want a fuss about his medals etc and made my grandma put them away somewhere. 
I'd try and trace the family, maybe their still local, maybe put an ad out somewhere but stressing that it's only personal stuff, nothing of any value. Then maybe see if a museum would like it on loan, or a local school?


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> Today I decided to move my router to a different area in my home. Doing so required me to get into the attic to run cable. While I was up there I discovered a briefcase wrapped in a trash bag. I brought it down and had to bust open the 2 locked clasps with a prybar. Inside was a treasure trove of WW2 memorabilia! There are all sorts of medals that were obviously removed from dead nazis. And quite a few coins and some paper money from the time. Other things included a few newspapers, a watch, various allied medals, and 2 books detailing the surrender of both the Japanese and the Germans. I have no idea who these things belonged to and am at a loss of how to proceed from here. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!


Legally the items belong to you, ethically it's your call. Call your real estate agent they can send you the tax records showing the sales history.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I can't see the medal clear enough to tell what it is. The collar brass with crossed rifles indicates he was Army Infantry. The piece that looks like a maltese cross is a weapon qualification badge indicating he qualified as Marksman for what ever weapon is noted on the hanging bar. Rifle most often. Marksman is the middle of the three tiers - Sharpshooter, Marksman, Expert. 
Of the ribbons, the red w/white stripes is the Army Good Conduct Medal.
Let me go back and look at the pictures again. I''ll be right back.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Of the other two ribbons, the yellow with red, white, blue stripes is the WWII American Defense Service Medal.
The brown/green with red, white, blue stripes is the WWII Europe-Africa-Middle East Service Medal.
The medal in the box my reference shows to be the Army Reserve or National Guard Achievement Medal.
I can find nothing on the shoulder insignia.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Found the patch. US Army 39th Infantry Division.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Rice Paddy Daddy thank you soo much!!! That is the kind of info I'm looking for!


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

As for the foreign money, a coin shop would be where I would go. Back in those days silver was often used in coins.
There wasn't any paperwork in there, like old orders, discharge papers, etc?


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> As for the foreign money, a coin shop would be where I would go. Back in those days silver was often used in coins.
> There wasn't any paperwork in there, like old orders, discharge papers, etc?


There was plenty of Nazi coin in there. I bet there is some decent silver content... as for paperwork there is a dd214 for dishonorable discharge but that was obviously the son of the person were discussing. The dd was from the Marines.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Arklatex said:


> There was plenty of Nazi coin in there. I bet there is some decent silver content... as for paperwork there is a dd214 for dishonorable discharge but that was obviously the son of the person were discussing. The dd was from the Marines.


Everything I could see in those pictures are WWII Army so you are right, the 214 must belong to someone else.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> There was plenty of Nazi coin in there. I bet there is some decent silver content... as for paperwork there is a dd214 for dishonorable discharge but that was obviously the son of the person were discussing. The dd was from the Marines.


That may explain why the case got left behind. It was all in the possession of a son who had problems. However, there may be another heir who would still like to have the medals.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Ark, on the more prestigious medals such as Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, etc the mans name is often engraved on the back of the medal. Not always, but often.
Look on the back of the medal and see.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

I found out the name of the guy from a neighbor. Apparently he is long since passed away. Same with his only kid, the son who was named on the 214. His wife passed away shortly after he did. No info on other family members other than he had a brother in California, who I suspect is also dead. I will try to find out if the son had any kids. If not than I suppose I can give the medals to the public library in town which is also the veterans memorial.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

In my will I'm going to leave my medals to my oldest daughter, who was a history major in college. 
I'm fortunate I guess. Both my daughters are proud Associate Members of the Society of the 5th Division and also members of AVVA (Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America).
I have assembled a ring binder of all the various personnel orders, training records, general memorabilia of my time in the Army and am still adding to it. This was prompted by all the letters to various organizations I have seen over the years - "My granddad never spoke about the war. How can I find out about what he did?"
Heck, somewhere I've even got some surrender leaflets in Vietnamese we used to air drop over the jungles.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

That's a great idea. I'm sure future generations of your family will appreciate it. All we have in my family is word of mouth stories. Only memorabilia is a dress uniform of my maternal grandfather. Not sure if there was more. But I know both grandfather's were in ww2. One also went to Korea. Wish they would of made the binders like you're talking about.


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