A Collector’s Dream Turned Into One Woman’s Fortune
News of the discovery spread quickly. Museums, collectors, and antique vendors began calling. Offers poured in—some offering six-figure sums for individual machines. The woman, overwhelmed but thrilled, called in legal and financial advisors to help manage the windfall.
Within days, experts valued the machines at well over $700,000. Some were one-of-a-kind, manufactured by companies that had long since vanished from history books. What amazed appraisers most was the condition—most were still functional.
The woman kept one machine for herself: the 1914 chocolate bonbon vendor, with its mahogany wood and stained-glass panels. “It’s a reminder,” she said, “that something forgotten can still be beautiful—and valuable.”
She had walked in expecting old furniture. She walked out a millionaire.
Sometimes, the best treasures are hidden in the dust—just waiting for the right person to uncover them.