Hidden Treasure: Gold, jewelry found inside book at used book sale
PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- As the saying goes, one can't judge a book buy its cover, and in this case, one can't even judge a book's value until the book is opened up.
It was a remarkable discovery at the annual VNSA book sale in Phoenix, where there were thousands of books on display. Somewhere in the maze of written work is one book that has something valuable inside, and not just what's written on the pages.
"So, I'm struggling to tear this thing open, and lo and behold, it has a magnetic lock, and inside are some jewelry pieces," said Mickey Munger, a volunteer at the VNSA Book Sale.
"Gold bracelet, pearls, and a couple of pairs of pearl and diamond earrings," said Pat Kland, who also worked as a volunteer at the VNSA Book Sale.
This isn't the first time the crew came across something other than literature work. Earlier on April, volunteer Cathy McAllister found $4,000 cash inside a copy of the book "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire". The book had belonged to a man who dedicated the money to his four children, so McAllister and the other volunteers worked to make sure this jewelry gets to the hands of the right people as well.
As it turns out, they belong to the same family.
"He was able to call the executor of the estate, and he confirmed that inventory of the estate included this jewelry. So we knew we had the right match," said McAllister.
The son of the man that turned in the book with the cash said that the book with the jewelry belonged to his late stepmother. It's a true lesson in how something once thought to be trash became a treasure.
"To find something tucked away in a book like this again, it's just a good lesson for us all that before you throw it away, open it up. Take a look and see what's in there," said [NAME NEEDED. INSERT NAME HERE BEFORE PUBLICATION] .