11 Random Objects That Turned Their Owners Into Millionaires

9. The Declaration Of Independence

Found: Flea Market Value: $2,420,000 It sounds like an urban legend, but a man really did once find the declaration of independence inside an old painting. In 1989, a Philadelphia man bought a quaint painting of a country scene for just $4 at a flea market. Rather than being a fan of the art itself, he was purchasing the painting for its frame (which is what ultimately led him to his fortuitous discovery). While detaching the frame, the man discovered an old, faded document stored between the canvas and the backing. Opening it up, the document was clearly titled as the Declaration of Independence. It was appraised, and found to be a rare original Dunlap broadside, of which only 23 others exist (and only 2 privately owned). The valuable find was listed on an auction at Sotheby's in 1991, and snatched up by a private collector for a record $2.42 million.