A family cleaning out their home in Los Angeles stumbled upon several secret bags containing a million pennies. Real estate agent John Reyes said he was cleaning out his father-in-law’s home when he made the discovery in a basement crawlspace. The bags of the pennies – with a face value of $10,000 – were in unopened, sealed bank sacks, as reported by UPI. “I’ve actually been contacted by a few coin collectors or people who specialize in this space and just based off some of the questions they asked me, for example having the lead sealed bag or having bags from banks we don’t necessarily recognize, knowing they are at least 40 years old or more. I’ve had quite a few collectors tell me that this is something that shouldn’t be sold until we know what’s going on,” Reyes told FOX 11, the news outlet reported.

According to the New York Post, the family determined that the coins are copper and not zinc, which the United States switched to in the 1980s. Reyes has listed the coins on OfferUp, a resale website, asking for $25,000. “The value is in the uniqueness,” he said. The first clue to the treasure came as Reyes and family members, assisting in the cleanup found some loose pennies in disintegrated paper rolls. Next, they located crates, boxes and dozens of bank bags filled with the coins.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP