Man buys wallet from charity shop and is floored by what he finds inside

A shopper has shared his surprise after buying a wallet from a charity shop, only to discover it wasn’t empty, urging others to always check items before purchasing

While many fantasise about finding hidden gems in charity shops, not everyone is fortunate enough to do so. However, one man recently struck it lucky after purchasing a wallet that wasn’t empty.

In a Reddit post, he encouraged fellow charity shoppers to always look inside wallets, bags and pockets before buying, hinting at the possibility of hidden treasures. He wrote: “Always check the wallets! Found Christmas Eve morning at my local Goodwill – $400 (£295) in a wallet that had just been put out.

“The back girl brought out a handful of wallets, including some leather ones I wanted to practise laser engraving on. I went to check them and the wallet was in the pile she had just brought out onto the shop floor.”

This wasn’t his first encounter with forgotten cash, as he disclosed that he had previously discovered $50 (£37) hidden in a pair of jeans. He assured readers that he was using the money to aid others, evidently feeling it wasn’t right to keep it.

Keen to make a positive impact, he added: “I’m going to take $50 to the food bank and use another $50 to buy dog food for our local shelter.”

Reacting to the post, one user shared: “I once found $15 and some change in the zipped pocket of a vintage windbreaker I bought on Vinted.

“The change was all minted in the 80s or earlier, and there were pamphlets in the pocket with phone numbers no longer in service and businesses that no longer existed.

“I’m almost certain that pocket hadn’t been unzipped for years, if not decades. I only paid $5 for the jacket.”

Another user added: “I had a friend in high school who lived with her grandmother – she grew up during the Great Depression and had a habit of hiding paper money in books. She once told me she was leafing through her grandma’s library and found hundreds of dollars hidden at random.”

A third user recalled: “I once bought my daughter a Barbie dollhouse from Goodwill for $4.99. It was huge – at least three feet tall. I managed to get it into my trolley when an employee came over looking nervous.

“She said it was improperly priced and should have been classed as furniture, meaning it should cost much more. I said I still wanted it.

“Then she told me I wasn’t allowed to carry it around the shop and had to leave it at the front. I decided to check out straight away, which clearly annoyed her, but she couldn’t stop me.

“When we got home, my daughter started playing with it and discovered the cupboards and fridge were stuffed full of jewellery. It all turned out to be costume jewellery, but I’m convinced the employee had hidden it there and planned to come back for it later. So I guess – also check dollhouses!”

However, there are important considerations regarding money discovered in charity shop purchases. From a legal standpoint, the situation can be somewhat unclear.

Most professionals and charities recommend reporting found money, as it is technically someone else’s lost property; however, there have been instances where people keep small amounts, believing the original owner won’t reclaim it.

Large sums are often managed by the charity and can sometimes be considered a donation if unclaimed. Reporting it to the police is also an option.