A Sydney cleaner has unearthed what’s believed to be a pretty bloody rare find while on the job — a coin possibly worth $40,000 buried under the carpet in a hoarder’s house.
Charlotte Bosanquet, the 20-year-old TikToker and owner of Care Cleaning Services Sydney, shared a video late last year of a deep clean that saw her and a workmate ripping up the soiled carpet in a client’s home.
@carecleaningservicessyd A glimpse into a hoarder’s mind 🙌🏼💌 #fyp #fypシ #cleantok #hoarderclean #spreadawareness #deepclean #history #understanding
“When we ripped up this carpet I realised there is so much history in this house,” Charlotte said in the video.
“This lady has lived here for her whole life. [You need to] take your time with these cleans.”
Charlotte said they found a heap of old newspapers that looked pretty well preserved under the carpets. Alongside them was a penny that she claimed is worth nearly $40,000.
Turns out the coin is likely a copper penny from the 1930s, which is one of Australia’s rarest coins. Per News.com.au, only 1500 of the one-penny coins were made in that time — thanks to the start of the Great Depression — so it’s likely one of the most valuable coins in the world.
In a following TikTok, Charlotte said it wasn’t a case of “finders keepers” when it came to the possibly-very-precious coin.
“It’s their property because it’s in their house,” she said.
“We gave it to [the client] straight away and she was very happy when we did a little bit of research about it.”
@carecleaningservicessyd Replying to @Ambie 💕 a little morning convo🥰 #fyp #cleantok #hoarderclean #spreadawareness #understanding #youngbusinessowner #dnm #morningchats
Charlotte shared another update in late November after the eldest daughter of the couple reached out with an email to thank her.
“I live about 10 hours away and have been so worried about the situation my parents are in,” the daughter’s email read.
“What you have done will allow my terminally-ill father to be in his own home while he enters his last stages of life, which is all he wanted.
“You’ve literally fulfilled a dying man’s wish.”
@carecleaningservicessyd This brought tears to my eyes ❤️ #fyp #cleantok #hoarderclean #deepclean #hazmat #understanding #spreadawareness #love
Please excuse me while I ugly sob in the knowledge that this TikTok-viral coin story means this couple now possibly have a greater financial safety net so the husband can live his twilight years in comfort. Ugh, my heart.
