A lucky discovery of a stash of coins, and a pin from a century ago, has allowed them to be reunited with their intended owners, years after the family left their Maple Ridge home.
City carpenter Mark Christiansen was finishing up renovation work on the house earlier this year when he found an old cookie tin wrapped in duct tape, hidden inside a basement ceiling.
Inside, was a collection of coins, some bearing the names of children of the former residents.
City workers did a title search for the previous owners of the home and tracked down Sharon and Alf Mintha.
“We were so excited when we got the call from [city employee] Darrell [Denton],” said Sharon. “Alf put the coins up in the ceiling in the 1990s for safe keeping.”
The couple had put the names of their children on the coins, which were actually gifts from their grandfather.
Sharon and Alf did such a good job hiding the coins, they forgot all about them when they moved out. “The kids were young so we put the coins away for them,” Sharon explained in a city news release.
The family had a get together on Dec. 28 when the children were presented with the coins. “My dad has passed away, so these gifts have even more meaning,” Sharon said.
Included in the collection was a pin given to Sharon’s grandfather by the Canadian government for his service at Vimy Ridge, during the First World War. “It says ‘For Service at the Front.’ He was at Vimy Ridge during all the action.”
“We are very proud to be able to share this story with the community and we thank the Mintha family for allowing us to share this part of their family Christmas,” said chief administrative officer Paul Gill.
