A MAN found a stash of gold worth almost £120,000 while cleaning his apartment – and he could get to keep the lot.
Police in the city of Heidelberg, Germany, were astonished when the 29-year-old walked into the station holding the treasure on Friday.
The man says he was clearing out junk from his home when he stumbled across the golden haul.
Mannheim Police Headquarters said in a statement obtained by: “It was a small treasure, consisting of gold bars and gold coins valued at more than £118,633.
“The young man had found this during a declutter in Heidelberg.
“It is currently under investigation to whom the valuables originally belonged.”
Police now have to see if the gold belongs to any previous resident of the apartment they can track down.
If they are located, under local law, the declutterer can expect a finder’s fee of more than £3,518.
Under German law, people who find large sums of money and report it are eligible for a finder’s fee of five per cent for the first £439 and three per cent of any additional amount.
But they get to keep the lot if the original owner can’t be traced within six months.
This comes after a metal detectorist found more than a dozen gold coins dating back centuries, and now he’s flogging them for a fortune.
The owner uncovered the Civil War gold coins in a field and is now selling them for an eye-watering £24,000.
Another pensioner found ancient treasure in a field after initially thinking it was a piece of junk.
He stumbled across an 18th century gold skeletal ring while metal detecting and is now selling it for a mega £4,000.
Keith Wille hunts lost items professionally and even helped a family discover £1,000s after they suspected something might be in the floorboards of their attic.
