Shopping at second hand stores might be compared to a treasure hunt, but usually the prize you find there is a fashionable bag or a vintage clothing.
One woman acquired a fancy purse at her neighborhood thrift shop, but when she opened it, she found much more than she had anticipated, along with a startling backstory.
Lynora Silverman was delighted to discover a Coach purse on the racks at a neighborhood resale shop in Philadelphia, where she grew up.
She gasped when she looked at the purse, but not because of the $6.99 price tag.
Silverman added in a video that has since topped 3.2 million views on TikTok, “Wait til I tell you what was inside.”
She focused the phone’s camera on the bag’s contents.
“Look inside,” she told her audience. “I thought I could clean it up,” you said, “but it’s like, nasty, right, and cruddy.”
Silverman began cleaning the bag once she brought it inside, removing a flap to let dirt and debris fall out.
She then made a startling discovery.
She pointed to a small package hidden at the bottom of the bag and said, “And there is an envelope in there with money.”
The envelope’s exterior was covered in writing, which Silverman read aloud.
Silverman read, “I have three kids. “They’ll donate my possessions to Goodwill when I pass away, so I’m hiding their inheritance inside all my cherished items,” she said.
She carried on reading Martha’s note when the narrative suddenly took an unexpected turn.
“I received this Coach bag from my husband’s ex-girlfriend years ago. Actually, after visiting my folks in Connecticut, I returned home early “The message read.
“She must have departed fast because her luggage and shoes were missing. I always carried this bag. I wonder if my spouse was aware that this belonged to his girlfriend.”
The message signed off in its last few words. “Go buy yourself a new bag since I used to carry this one daily and am now giving it away because my kids don’t want it. Dear Martha:”
After reading the last phrase, Silverman spread out the $300 that was in the envelope and then gaped at the camera. She said in wonder, “What?!”
Viewers urged Silverman to look into the matter more in the comments, and she quickly did so after learning from people in the Philadelphia region that Martha frequented numerous secondhand shops.
In a subsequent video, Silverman returned to her neighborhood secondhand shop and ran across a worker named Brittany who said she had met Martha numerous times.
Silverman bought products that Martha is said to have contributed, and she and Brittany discovered another message inside one of the boxes that contained an ice cream sandwich maker.
It said, “I previously had small children, and you presumably bought this since you had small children as well.
“Baby girl, heed Martha’s counsel: prepare some ice cream sandwiches for the kids, get a babysitter, and visit the spa. Dear Martha:”
Another stack of notes totaling $200 was also present. Although it’s unclear how many more donated items could include money and letters, Silverman assured her followers that she plans to keep looking and, if the real Martha is still alive and well, locate her.
