Family never believed their grandpa's crazy stories until they open a box hidden in his attic
Cleaning out a relative's and it can often be an arduous and uneventful task
But it does have the potential to be quite interesting it might not seem like an exciting chore
But there's always the chance that you'll uncover something about your family that you didn't know before
For instance when Mike and Maria Lopez were recently tasked with cleaning their grandfather's attic they had no idea what to expect
Especially with all the tall tales he told them about his pants
But nothing could have prepared them for what they found hidden in one unmarked box
Many people wonder if there might be some fabulous treasure tucked away in the Attic of their childhood home
there has to be something in all those boxes right a man named Mark Lopez however never really thought this way as
kids marking his sister, Maria
We're told plenty of outlandish stories from their grandfather still it never crossed their minds that he was telling the truth
He was just entertaining them, right
for instance when Marco Maria were young their grandfather used to claim that he'd located the treasure of josé Gaspar a
Notorious Spanish pirate many years ago the children enjoyed the story, but they never took it seriously
After their grandfather passed away and Marco Maria were tasked with cleaning his attic. They'd figured
They'd find nothing of value until they made a startling discovery inside an unmarked box that changed everything they thought they knew about him
Among the items that Mark and Maria found inside the strange container was a picture of two people on their wedding day
Well, they had no proof the siblings assumed it was likely a photograph of their great-grandparents
All inside the box was a crude map of Tampa, Florida from the 1930s
Why would their grandfather keep such a bizarre item seemingly drawn by hand?
Still there were other things to add to the mystery
Mark, Maria also found an array of what they believed to be Portuguese and Spanish coins dating all the way back to the 16th century
Perhaps there really was some truth to their grandfather's stories
Maybe my great-grandparents were pirates Marc joke later
Well admitting that the truth can sometimes be shocking still he and a sister hadn't seen anything yet. They kept digging through their grandfather's stuff
Quite disturbingly the chest also contained a preserved human hand it really must have seen like something straight out of a horror film
What the heck was their grandfather doing with a hand?
Both mark and Maria were in complete shock when they discovered the hand
Maria came across it and once she told me she found a hand in the box. I was totally blown away
He admitted after the find
Why would their grandfather keep a preserved human hand for so long?
And why would he keep it all a secret from his family?
Mark and Maria knew they had to do some more digging if they ever wanted to know the truth
Well every thought imaginable stirred in their minds mark and Maria decided they had to get to the bottom of their discovery
Once and for all so they brought the box and the items inside to a professional for appraisal
first Tampa Bay History Center curator Rodney kite Powell took a look at the coins
They're a little thin to be Spanish coins or old coins in general
Generally older coins were thicker Rodney explained the coins weren't as old as they'd anticipated, but that didn't make them any less exciting
next Rodney wanted to give the crude map of Tampa close examination after a while he determined it dated back to either the
1920s or 1930s
The chances of any of the items having belonged to josé Gaspar were starting to dwindle
It's fascinating
But I just don't know what to make of it aside from the fact that it's probably not Jose Gaspar's hand
These probably aren't Spanish coins Rodney explained of course the hand might not have belonged to josé Gaspar
But that didn't do anything to take away from its mystery mark and Maria still had no idea of its origins
or if it was even real to begin with I
Think it looks real
And the weirdest thing is the hand mark mentioned
While taking a moment to remember all the tall tales his grandfather had told him and his sister when they were children
Was he lying or not?
Either my great-grandfather made the best most elaborate pirate hoax ever and never shared it with anyone
Or he really did find some treasure on the Hillsborough River mark recalled. There's really no way to know
Mark and Maria decided they'd hold on to the mysterious box and its mysterious contents as a relic of their late grandfather and their family
History who knows maybe one day. They'll learn the whole truth
While the coins map and hand might not have given mark and Maria the answers they were looking for there's no denying that simply sifting
Through their grandfather's items gave them a glimpse into his past and what a wild past it was
Can you imagine finding out that this was real all along if only they'd believe their grandfather when he was still around
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