In a world where treasure hunt stories seem reserved for adventure novels and films, reality sometimes manages to surpass fantasy. This is the case of James Kane, a 40-year-old man who, armed with a magnet and a rope, discovered a safe containing banknotes worth approximately 90 thousand euros at the bottom of a lake in New York City. Be careful though, Kane’s stroke of luck was immediately dampened by an unexpected reality: he cannot use the money he found. Here is his incredible story.
90 thousand euro treasure in a safe at home
James Kane, a magnetic fishing enthusiast, found himself faced with one of the most incredible surprises of his life. During one of his regular “fishing” sessions with his partner, Kane discovered one safe full of banknotes. Using a rope with a powerful magnet, the man pulled an unsuspected safe from the lake, under the incredulous eyes of his companion.
This discovery is not the first for Kane: he had already found interesting objects in the past, but he had never had one like this in his hands amount of money. “I looked and there were hundreds and hundreds of dollars,” Kane said. “A huge amount of banknotes, I think the life I have known so far is about to change.”
The couple had started dedicating themselves to magnetic “fishing” during the pandemic, as a pastime to combat boredom. Kane’s partner, initially skeptical, couldn’t believe her eyes. “I was speechless, I didn’t believe it,” she said. “These things don’t happen to me. I barely win games or lotteries, let alone a jackpots such”.
After found the treasure, Kane immediately contacted the authorities. Despite this, the police allowed him to keep the loot. A police spokesperson said that typically when property valued at more than $10 is found, it is necessary hand it over to the police. But in this case the value and authenticity of the banknotes could not be assessed due to the poor conditions in which they were found.
Because he can’t use the money he found
James Kane can’t just cash the bills. The wet and muddy condition of the banknotes makes it difficult to determine their true value and authenticity. Kane has already made contact to proceed with the restoration of banknotesa process that could take years.
The couple hopes to be able to get approx 60 thousand dollars from the restored treasure, but the road is still long and uncertain. Kane’s discovery was just the beginning of a long and complicated process of recovering and authenticating the money. This obstacle, however, has not discouraged Kane, whose passion for treasure hunting remains strong.
Kane said that since he was a child he wanted to be a hunter hidden treasuresthe. Magnetic “fishing” has given him many surprises over the years, including numerous rifles, pistols, WWII grenades and even a motorcycle. There safe full of banknotes it is certainly the most precious and fascinating find of his career as a treasure hunter.
