For one customer, a brief visit to a thrift store turned into an incredible experience when they bought a $21 used suit and discovered much more than a good deal: A large roll of cash—$2,000 in $100 bills, neatly bound with rubber bands and apparently forgotten—was found inside a jacket pocket.
“I’ve found interesting things in thrifted suit pockets before, but never $2,000 in cash.” The buyer posted on social media after making the discovery. People who had heard of similar windfalls expressed curiosity, skepticism, and stories in response to the post in the Weird and Wonderful Secondhand Finds Share For Happy Facebook group. But after the customer kept the money, readers raised an interesting query: what should you do if you come across cash?
A $21 suit and a $2,000 surprise
Even though the thrifted jacket and pants were a fantastic find on their own, the hidden cash made them stand out. Instead of being dispersed, the bills were banded and rolled, tucked away as though someone had intended to get them but never did. The customer was thrilled and kept the money.
Online responses went from joy to skepticism. The story looked a little “too convenient” for some users. But it was defended by others: “For everyone claiming this is a lie I genuinely have a family member who hides cash in folded pants at home lmfao it’s plausible,” one commenter wrote.
“Reminds me of when students in my college town found $40K cash in a Salvation Army couch they bought,” another commented… A memory that seemed like a fairy tale with receipts “True story. Then they gave it back.” They added.
Does this really happen often?
Checking pockets, labels, and seams is a common routine for seasoned thrifters: “This DOES happen, enough that at one thrift I frequent there are people who run in just to search ALL the sportcoat and coat/jacket pockets, and then leave,” a commenter said.
“Their odds are just as good as, or maybe better than, playing the lottery that day, so…” Receipts, notes, keys, and sometimes a hidden stash are all stored in pockets, they become the little storage spaces of daily life. And valuables things can slip through completely unnoticed because of donations, moves, or rushes.
However, luck is not a strategy. Most of pockets only have old laundry slips and crumbs. This story has generated a lot of buzz because it is both unexpected but still somehow possible. A single suit, a single pocket, a single pile of cash, and a customer who shared their discovery are all in the middle.
What’s legal—And what good sense suggests
If you find money, what should you do? State laws can vary but there is a clear starting point, according to the legal information compiled from HG.org. If you find a wallet containing cash and identification, the owner can be identified, and the wallet is considered lost property with a path home by the law, so you cannot legally keep the money.
If you come across cash but no identification, like loose bills in a pocket or cash on the sidewalk, start by asking those in the area if they lost it. Many states mandate that if no one claims it, local law enforcement should be notified and it must be turned over so that the rightful owner can come forward. The finder might be granted the right to keep it if no owner is found.
However, on a thrift shop, it might be very hard to find the original owner. If you are the next lucky founder of a forgotten treasure, you can: try to identify the owner, follow local laws, and maybe become the new owner of it.