A Picture Is Worth A Thousand [Dollars]

George died on January 28, 2021. He was born in 1932 to a Pennsylvania Dutch family, making him 88 years old and the owner of over 10 authentic German steins. George amazingly had 8 children from two different marriages. Two of his children were present when he transitioned from Earth to whatever lies beyond. Despite being pumped with morphine to numb the pain, he opened his eyes, shed one tear, and was gone.

George’s family sobbed as they held one another and said goodbye. Everyone handles grief differently. George’s wife stayed nearby still telling him how loved he was and how grateful she was. While Jane, one of his daughters, sat on the sidelines and watched, crying loudly. Meanwhile, his other daughter, Erin, wanted to channel her emotions into a project. She decided to create a book telling George’s tales and presenting his memories. After all, this was a man who skied double black diamond slopes at age 76, and who could be found doing 10+ hours of yard work per day until he contracted Alzheimer’s disease at 78.

Erin found 10 large storage boxes full of photos. She settled on the cold basement floor, pouring over the old photos. She delicately picked up stacks of hand-cut, black and white photos from her father’s youth showing off his athleticism, genuine smile, and love of life. Within these boxes were hundreds of old photos in handmade frames dating back to the early 1900s. Erin knew she would have to convert these photos into digital files, so she did what any millennial would do: download an app and start snapping. Given the delicate state of the frames, she saved them for last. She would need to pry open the old frames, which was difficult as they had ruggedly-cut glass wedged between handmade wood borders. All the pieces of the frame were held together using old nails.

She started with her favorite photo—a hand-painted picture of her father when he was 18 years old. She delicately pulled the frame pieces apart and pinched away the cardboard inserts to find $200 cash dating back to 1910. “What in the hell is this…” she said, jaw dropped. Her mind was racing as she wondered, “Could there be cash hidden in other frames?”. Obviously, she had to find out.

Three frames had been operated on, and she had found a total of $1000. Erin quickly grabbed the nearest little black book and started writing an inventory list. She noted the family member photographed, the printed year on the cash, and the total amount of money. If there was money stashed in all of these frames, she wanted to track it.

Erin feverishly spent 2 hours delicately removing the backs of over 80 picture frames. Unbelievably, she had found over $20,000 in cash stashed between the photo and the cardboard in the frame.

“Holy shit,” she said. Her mind was racing wondering who stashed the cash and why.

She went back to the little black book to see if there were any patterns. About a third of the cash was placed in the picture frame had been dated before George was born. “It must have been his mother and father who stashed the cash. But, why?”, she wondered.

Erin dug through the thick family bible that followed her dad’s family history dating back to the early 1800s. The bible listed birth dates and locations. George’s parents had been born in the United States, but their parents, Hazel and Walter, were born in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1845.

She typed into Google—German immigrants hide money in picture frames. Nothing. Then tried—German immigrant 1845. Her search this time explained that “More than a million Germans fled to the U.S. between 1845 and 1855 to escape political unrest and economic hardship.”

Instinctively, Erin thought of her dad’s hoarding behaviors. How he would collect all of his old electronics in his nightstand. When pressed by his kids or wife about why he was keeping items he didn’t use so close, he would say, “I might need it.”

Perhaps the perceived potential for scarcity pushed George’s family to hide the cash. And what a successful hiding place it was! Erin would never know for sure. At this point, she didn’t quite care why it was hidden. Piecing together her father’s history brought a sense of peace. She continued to sit on the basement floor just thinking of George and the amazing and vibrant life he led.