Pro cleaner stumbles upon $40k item in a hoarder’s home
- Replies 3
At just 20 years old, Charlotte Bosanquet is a powerhouse business owner who is living the entrepreneur dream — whipping up a cleaning business in Sydney and growing it quickly.
Her business, Care Cleaning Services Sydney, recently received a lot of attention when she shared a discovery that took place while she was cleaning a 'mould-infested' home for a client.
It doesn’t take a professional cleaner to say that the place had seen much better days.
According to Charlotte, the owner of the home was a ‘hoarder’, or an individual prone to keeping items in the belief that they hold value.
‘I finally got a snippet into a hoarder’s mind and how they actually think,’ she said.
‘It is so hard to understand what they’re feeling … when we’re going through all of their things (and) they’ve never let someone through in such a long time.’
She and her colleague were ripping up the carpet of the home and what lay underneath was a rather surprising glimpse into the past.
Most notably there were newspapers laid down beneath the carpet.
She also recovered other odds and ends like an old key, but it was another item that stole the show: a plain old coin. It was the kind that anyone else might have tossed aside or ignored.
But not Charlotte, who did some looking around online and found out it was worth an estimated $40,000!
According to reports, what she found was a coin dating back to the 1930s — one of the rarest Australian coins ever minted and the most valuable copper penny worldwide.
In October last year, a similar coin fetched a whopping $59,415 at an auction!
The valuable penny at the auction is said to be one of only 1,500 released in the 30s, and most are assumed to be lost to time whether through disposal or damage.
Another from the same era, a ‘Proof 1930 Penny’ (dubbed ‘Australia’s most valuable coin’), sold for $1.15 million at another auction.
For something found in a home in need of intense cleaning, what a neat find!
‘It was pretty interesting — the coin was probably the most valuable thing I've found on the job,’ Charlotte said.
But while others may nab the allegedly 40 thousand-dollar coin, the thought never crossed Charlotte’s mind.
In a follow-up post, she said that she didn’t have a ‘finders-keepers’ mentality to things she comes across at cleaning jobs.
‘It’s their property, it’s their house,’ she stressed.
And with that, she told the homeowner, who was very grateful.
‘She was ecstatic. She was also super happy that we were honest.’
‘When you go into those types of homes, sometimes the clients don’t have a lot of money — that’s why we did that clean for free — so to be able to find that coin that's potentially worth a lot of money, it was exciting for her.’
‘She may have gotten the opportunity to buy things that she really needed like a new toilet and new blinds that were mould-infested.’
That said, Charlotte has no idea if the woman went through with having the potentially valuable coin appraised.
‘That was the only coin we found under the carpet so I assume it was put there for a reason. I'm not sure if the woman went to get it valued or if it's gone back under the carpet.’
‘We always encourage our clients to get their items valued especially if they are needing money because it's a pretty cool opportunity.’
Charlotte’s TikTok post was a smash hit, with around 830,000 views.
Many were inspired by her approach when cleaning hoarder homes. She said that most of the homes are occupied by people who have underlying mental health issues.
As one commenter put it: ‘Hoarding is often a trauma response related to anxiety disorders. I'm so glad that you approach these cleans with kindness and compassion.’
‘One of the main goals of my social media is to make people aware that mental health is related to cleaning,’ she said.
‘I never fully understood hoarding until I started doing the cleans and through that I gained a lot of insight and compassion for the people that lived there.’
‘It's so easy for people to jump to the conclusion that they are lazy, but that's just not true.’
It is estimated that around 600,000 Australians are suffering from the urge to hoard.
Symptoms of the condition, also called hoarding disorder, include difficulty parting with possessions, presence of clutter in living areas, social withdrawal, and finding excuses to maintain the clutter.
But if you have a hobby collecting things, are you a hoarder already?
According to healthdirect, not quite. One of the main differences between hoarders and collectors is that while collectors are usually driven by sentiment, hoarders are distressed by the thought of getting rid of items.
Collectors also take care to have their items organised, unlike those with hoarding disorder.
It is advised that those exhibiting symptoms of hoarding disorder get in touch with medical professionals for adequate treatment.
There are also organisations like SANE Australia who can offer counselling and advice
So, what are your thoughts on Charlotte’s discovery (and honesty)? What would you have done in her place?
And have you had similar experiences of finding something valuable when you least expect it?
Share your comments and stories with us below!
Source: TikTok/@carecleaningservicessyd
Her business, Care Cleaning Services Sydney, recently received a lot of attention when she shared a discovery that took place while she was cleaning a 'mould-infested' home for a client.
It doesn’t take a professional cleaner to say that the place had seen much better days.
According to Charlotte, the owner of the home was a ‘hoarder’, or an individual prone to keeping items in the belief that they hold value.
‘I finally got a snippet into a hoarder’s mind and how they actually think,’ she said.
‘It is so hard to understand what they’re feeling … when we’re going through all of their things (and) they’ve never let someone through in such a long time.’
One recent cleaning job had Charlotte find a valuable object by chance. Image Credit: TikTok
She and her colleague were ripping up the carpet of the home and what lay underneath was a rather surprising glimpse into the past.
Most notably there were newspapers laid down beneath the carpet.
She also recovered other odds and ends like an old key, but it was another item that stole the show: a plain old coin. It was the kind that anyone else might have tossed aside or ignored.
But not Charlotte, who did some looking around online and found out it was worth an estimated $40,000!
According to reports, what she found was a coin dating back to the 1930s — one of the rarest Australian coins ever minted and the most valuable copper penny worldwide.
In October last year, a similar coin fetched a whopping $59,415 at an auction!
The valuable penny at the auction is said to be one of only 1,500 released in the 30s, and most are assumed to be lost to time whether through disposal or damage.
Another from the same era, a ‘Proof 1930 Penny’ (dubbed ‘Australia’s most valuable coin’), sold for $1.15 million at another auction.
For something found in a home in need of intense cleaning, what a neat find!
‘It was pretty interesting — the coin was probably the most valuable thing I've found on the job,’ Charlotte said.
But while others may nab the allegedly 40 thousand-dollar coin, the thought never crossed Charlotte’s mind.
In a follow-up post, she said that she didn’t have a ‘finders-keepers’ mentality to things she comes across at cleaning jobs.
‘It’s their property, it’s their house,’ she stressed.
The old coin Charlotte found appears to have the words ‘ONE PENNY’ written in the middle, enclosed in a circle. Image Credit: TikTok
And with that, she told the homeowner, who was very grateful.
‘She was ecstatic. She was also super happy that we were honest.’
‘When you go into those types of homes, sometimes the clients don’t have a lot of money — that’s why we did that clean for free — so to be able to find that coin that's potentially worth a lot of money, it was exciting for her.’
‘She may have gotten the opportunity to buy things that she really needed like a new toilet and new blinds that were mould-infested.’
That said, Charlotte has no idea if the woman went through with having the potentially valuable coin appraised.
‘That was the only coin we found under the carpet so I assume it was put there for a reason. I'm not sure if the woman went to get it valued or if it's gone back under the carpet.’
‘We always encourage our clients to get their items valued especially if they are needing money because it's a pretty cool opportunity.’
Charlotte’s TikTok post was a smash hit, with around 830,000 views.
Many were inspired by her approach when cleaning hoarder homes. She said that most of the homes are occupied by people who have underlying mental health issues.
As one commenter put it: ‘Hoarding is often a trauma response related to anxiety disorders. I'm so glad that you approach these cleans with kindness and compassion.’
‘One of the main goals of my social media is to make people aware that mental health is related to cleaning,’ she said.
‘I never fully understood hoarding until I started doing the cleans and through that I gained a lot of insight and compassion for the people that lived there.’
‘It's so easy for people to jump to the conclusion that they are lazy, but that's just not true.’
Old newspapers were found under the carpet of the client’s home. Image Credit: TikTok
It is estimated that around 600,000 Australians are suffering from the urge to hoard.
Symptoms of the condition, also called hoarding disorder, include difficulty parting with possessions, presence of clutter in living areas, social withdrawal, and finding excuses to maintain the clutter.
But if you have a hobby collecting things, are you a hoarder already?
According to healthdirect, not quite. One of the main differences between hoarders and collectors is that while collectors are usually driven by sentiment, hoarders are distressed by the thought of getting rid of items.
Collectors also take care to have their items organised, unlike those with hoarding disorder.
There are also organisations like SANE Australia who can offer counselling and advice
So, what are your thoughts on Charlotte’s discovery (and honesty)? What would you have done in her place?
And have you had similar experiences of finding something valuable when you least expect it?
Share your comments and stories with us below!
Source: TikTok/@carecleaningservicessyd
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