Striking gold: man finds €30,000 gold bar in second-hand safe

There’s nothing quite as good as finding a long-forgotten fiver in your jean pocket. Except maybe finding a gold-bar bar worth more than €30,000 in a used-safe, bought online for just €15.

That’s exactly what happened to a man in Germany, who quite literally struck gold when he opened his second-hand safe to find a bar of gold tucked safety inside a secret compartment.

Discovery of hidden 250g Gold Bar in Barvaria

The discovery reportedly took place in Bavaria after the man purchased the used safe online for a symbolic price. What seemed like an ordinary second-hand household item quickly turned into a remarkable find when he examined its internal compartments more closely.

Inside a concealed section of the safe, he found a 250-gram gold bar that had apparently been stored away and forgotten. The gold was still in good condition, suggesting it had been placed there intentionally for secure storage rather than accidental loss. Current estimates value the gold-bar at approximately €32,900.

Gold immediately reported to police

After realising the value of the discovery, the buyer did not attempt to keep the gold. Upon discovery, he immediately contacted the authorities.

German police treated the matter as a potential case of lost property, launching inquiries to trace the original owner of the safe. Their working theory is that the safe’s original owners simply forgot the gold was in there when listing the safe for sale.

From there, officer’s then tracked down the owner, who had sold the safe for his 90-year old grandfather.

Who is the legal owner of the gold?

But, legally speaking, who does the gold-bar belong to? The German man who legally bought the safe for €15, or the family of the older gentleman who forgot about his very lucrative stash? This is for them to decide.

Cases involving hidden valuables discovered in purchased goods often depend on whether the item is classified as lost property or deliberately concealed and forgotten assets. In this case, both sides have plausible claims. The buyer obtained the safe legally and paid for it in full, while the original family maintains that the gold was never intended to be sold.

A police spokesman confirmed that the two parties must now come to private agreement regarding ownership, or settle the case through the courts.