30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited

Even a modest financial boost can change your life. It can provide a cushion for unexpected medical bills, help pay off your loans, or allow you to finally take that trip you've been dreaming about.

However, for many, opportunities to get such an influx are very limited, and a windfall might be their best bet.

So we decided to check out how those who have received one are reacting to it, and we found a couple of Quora threads where people shared their experiences and insights after benefiting from these sudden gains.

Their stories include everything from the most fortunate windfalls to some burdensome and truly peculiar situations.

This post may include affiliate links.

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited my grandfather's grand piano. As young as I can remember, I begged him to let me have it when he was "done with it". When he passed last year, I received the piano and with it came 28 years of memories, love, and wisdom he shared with me. It quite literally represents my relationship with him and I will cherish that forever.

readycent , Artur Stec / pexels Report

Final score:

143points

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Passerby 4 weeks ago

Not the strangest thing to inherit, but definitely one of the sweetest.

34points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My Grandfather left me his fathers drafting tools from the early 1900s. A full wood boxed set of ink based tools for drafting. He was a civil engineer I am an architect so I know how to use them. I think they were a college graduation present to him in 1904.

Matt Anderson , el cajon yacht club / flickr Report

Final score:

133points

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SuperChicken 4 weeks ago

Such an exceptional inheritance. If I received something like that, that would be something I would treasure for the rest of my life.

30points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited A walnut.

My grandfather, who died long before I was born, carried it round in his pocket so he had something to fidget with. It was never explicitly admitted but the inference is he had stress issues after the double whammy of being at the Somme in the first world war, and an air raid patrol warden during the second. It's nearly black and worn smooth, more like a pebble now. If I'm doing something important I put it in my pocket for luck.

anon , Pixabay / pexels Report

Final score:

110points

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Costa 4 weeks ago

The actor Ardal O'Hanlon revealed he does the same thing on Would I Lie to You? not that long ago (UK light-hearted TV show where celebs make a random statement and the opposing team have to decide whether true or false).

11points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I got my father's hooked nose, beady eyes, and tiny crooked penis.

It was the strangest will reading I've ever attended.

Robert Taylor , Kevin Bidwell / pexels Report

Final score:

100points

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Geekymummy 4 weeks ago

I have my mother's eyes *opens case to show them off*

41points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited The very best and the one thing that is my most prized possessions, my father's Stetson hat that he always wore. The thing that means the most happy about it was that I came out to him 2 to 3 months before his passing and he made sure I knew that he loved me no matter what and then to get the one thing that meant so much to him made me cry my eyes out. It is taken care of and means more to me than if I had got $10,000 cash. I feel so loved every time I see it and I know he is still with me. Money is gone in a heartbeat that hat will last a lifetime. I miss you dad and thank you for accepting the daughter you only found out about right before you passed on, I will always love you.

Lisa Corbett , puuikibeach / flickr Report

Final score:

98points

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nicholas nolan 4 weeks ago

All I wanted was a pair of my dad's yellow tinted glasses and his old Carhart. Not the new one, mom. The ripped one. The one he wore from when I was 9, until he died. Even after the rip. Why did you throw that away?

13points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My friend left me his cats. I take very good care of them. I hope he is in heaven looking down and he’s happy.

Fran Brochstein , Nina Hill / pexels Report

Final score:

95points

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Tempest 4 weeks ago

Thank you for not abandoning them!

39points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I inherited two of my grandfather's (Charles Brackett) four Academy Awards. One is for best screenplay for The Lost Weekend, and the other is for his service to the Academy as its president. The other two Oscars are with my sister and my cousin. They are for Sunset Boulevard and Titanic (the 1950s version).

Jim Moore Report

Final score:

90points

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Alesa Annett 4 weeks ago

How frickin’ cool

24points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My mum, last week, gave me a silver pocket watch which my grandfather left to me, engraved inside is a retirement message to my great great great grandfather from his employer dated 1849. Pretty cool.

awan001 , cottonbro studio / pexels Report

Final score:

82points

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Upstaged75 4 weeks ago (edited)

I have a wooden oar/paddle that my grandfather won at summer camp in 1930. It has his name and the name of the camp printed on it. He was an accomplished swimmer and used to train with Johnny Weissmuller, who was the original Tarzan actor as well as a gold medal winning Olympian.

20points

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My great aunt (and godmother) left me a small amount while I was in college, maybe $2000 or so. It was greatly appreciated.

Many years later, my father died (my mom was already gone) and my brother and I received equal halves of his estate. He had had a good long life and missed my mom, so he was ready to go. I was the executor of his estate, and it’s was pretty cut and dried except for having to sell his house and that dragged on awhile.

Two years ago, my brother died very unexpectedly and I was his executor and sole heir. Again, I had to sell a house, this time five states away. And I miss him every day. I wish I could trade that inheritance for having him back.

Xena Lee , Pavel Danilyuk / pexels Report

Final score:

79points

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Robin DJW 4 weeks ago

I'm so sorry for your losses. It really sucks to lose loved ones.

12points

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#10

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I did receive an inheritance from Mom and Dad. However, I was awfully young when I met a very old lady, who was a relative of mine, from New York.

I can not remember her name, as I am sixty nine years old now, and I was less than ten years old, back then. I do recall she was handing out small trinkets and tokens to me, my brother, and my sisters.

My sisters each received a ring, or a necklace. My brother received a tie clasp, and cuff links. I received an old watch.

The watch wasn’t working. It was broken. I’m certain I had no appreciation for that gift, at the time. It took me some years to understand, these few trinkets were all she had to offer to us, for an inheritance.

It’s an old wrist watch. It is still broken. Yet, this old lady boarded a plane…in the 1950’s…and made the arduous trek across these United States…just to give to us children, that what she had to offer.

I will never know her name. I believe she was on my paternal side of the family, as I received the watch in the home of my paternal grandfather. But, I treasure that old watch.

It was given to me by someone I didn’t know. It was given to me by someone I would never meet, again. I THINK she was my Great Aunt Etta, but I am not too sure. However, I am touched, an old lady who I had never met, wanted to give to me, something I could never use. It was her thoughtfulness for a young relative she had never met, that made this inheritance so meaningful.

James T. Bawden , Alan Levine / flickr Report

Final score:

73points

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Cee Cee 4 weeks ago

Could always take it to a specialist and see if it can be fixed.

27points

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#11

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I was left,a small,dilapidated cottage, a small cross dog,and £3k

when I was 14 year old.

From a retired school teacher, who lived down the lane,from my parents.

I had avoided her,and her cottage as much as possible when she was a live,because other children told me she was a witch, and believe me,everything seemed plausible, when your 6 years old walking down dark lanes,in the winter, I was always petrified for years,I use to bolt pass her cottage.

Now her little dog,( Ruby) was a frequent unannounced visitor to our house,and I was always given the job of returning her to old ( Mrs Gillespie)

That was the only times,I reluctantly spoke to her,she use to grab my jumper sleeve and pull me into her kitchen, I was powerless,against her strength especially as I was holding Ruby by a bit of string.

The kitchen was dark,damp,out dated,and had strange odours ,and presevering jars ,full of all sorts.

Daniel Woodbridge Report

Final score:

59points

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Alex Martin 4 weeks ago

She also had, a large jar of commas, overflowing, sitting on a shelf, spilling over, into every sentence.

121points

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#12

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My mother before passing away gave me a coin with both side as Tail.

She told me; my eldest brother (born on 15 August, Named as Aazad) died in her lap because the hospital denied service for just this 1 rupee.

Keshri Report

Final score:

56points

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BitchinintheBurgh' 4 weeks ago

So very sad.

25points

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#13

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited Not me, but my brother. He's a musician and band director, and has been playing piano since he was 8. He knows that he will eventually inherit the piano he learned on, which is still in our Mom's living room. When our grandmother died, he got the piano from her house, intending it for his daughter, who had just been born. When he went to move it, he found the bill of sale tucked in an envelope on the back of the piano. The date on the receipt showed that it was originally purchased exactly 40 years to the day before his daughter was born. She learned to play on it, and now has a Masters Degree in Music Education and teaches at a local high school. That piano is in her house.

anon , Karol Carvalho / pexels Report

Final score:

53points

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Upstaged75 4 weeks ago

I learned to play on the same piano that my mother did. I even have some of the sheet music that she used as a kid and I still play it. When my parents finally downsize and move to a retirement community the piano will be mine. I'll always cherish it.

9points

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#14

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited Two dressers that are both over 150 years old. No screws or nails and marble-topped.

Caliblair , Thomas Quine / flickr Report

Final score:

51points

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Tempest 4 weeks ago

My dad recently tried to sell an antique hallstand that was passed down generations from his grandfather. It’s some 80 years or more old. The price he listed it for was so low because he just wanted to get rid of it as he doesn’t have space to store it. Then he started receiving endless calls from people trying to buy it. Seeing that so many people were interested in it my dad decided to appraise it. This caused him to realise that it’s extremely valuable, especially cause it’s a rare find in my country, and now it has become a permanent item in our house. 😂

18points

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#15

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited Not mine personally, but my family has been passing down the same bible since 1886. It has a ton of cool things in it like a report card from the 1890s, original newspaper clippings from when WWI was declared, ads from the early 1920s, etc.

whoismadi , Stephanie Young Merzel / flickr Report

Final score:

43points

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Donna Peluda 4 weeks ago

I didn't know the bible was so up to date on current affairs

7points

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#16

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My grandfather's 1961 acoustic Gibson guitar. It's amazing. It may not be worth millions but it's more sentimental to me than the money I'd get for selling it.

lonelyoboe , Freebird / flickr Report

Final score:

43points

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Diana Lucas 4 weeks ago

My husband inherited his dad's Gibson guitar from the 1950s. We sold it years ago after it was nearly destroyed when a pipe burst in our house. Luckily, it missed the guitar, but we realized then that none of us would ever play it. It would languish away in a closet for decades. He decided to sell it to someone who would cherish it.

19points

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#17

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I had a friend who I met whilst we both worked in a care home we got on well and saw each other away from work visiting each other etcetera he retired and I lost my job he invited me to his for Christmas after the new year I was expecting to go home I lived in a rented flat he had a bungalow he asked me if I was willing to stay he had COPD and needed help I would bathe him take him out in a wheel chair his elderly uncle also lived there and cooked our meals after a few years my friend got shingles then he got sepsis and he stopped eating and passed away he left me and his uncle the right to live in his bungalow for the rest of our lives only bills to pay no rent it be was written in his will that until we pass away no one can contest it the uncle died a few years ago a day before he became a 100 yr old after I die the bungalow will go to his daughter both of them also left me some financial help also I feel greatful that I went from a unemployed man living in a basement flat to living in a lovely two bedroom bungalow I am so lucky to of known them as friends and they both ended up showing me that they appreciated my help and have helped me have a positive outlook on my future I didn't inherit the bungalow but have the next best thing a nice home.

Alan , Calmuziclover / flickr Report

Final score:

41points

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Zoe's Mom 4 weeks ago

Off topic: This was hard to read without any punctuations.

96points

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#18

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited World War 1 trench knife. Been in the family for generations.

CrazyKSG , Gary Todd / flickr Report

Final score:

41points

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Anthony hawk 4 weeks ago

That's awesome!

5points

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#19

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited A house. My Mom and Dad bought it for $38,000, no money down.

When Dad died he left the house to Mom.

When she died I sold it for $245,000.

Oh, yes….she also left me her two cats.

Stan Blue , Pixabay / pexels Report

Final score:

40points

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Agfox 4 weeks ago

House, $245,000 but 2 cats, priceless

29points

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#20

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited A gilded concert pedal harp.

It was left to me by a friend of our family who was a professional harpist

anon , James Jordan / flickr Report

Final score:

39points

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MaryHadaLittleLamb 4 weeks ago

Ok, that's cool

4points

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#21

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I found out my Great Grandmother left me almost $30,000 in cash she'd been putting into a bank account since I was born.

Unfortunately, she put my Mom's name on the account so that money was gone before I even knew about it. I found about it when I was 25 when my Grandfather asked what I'd done with the money.

But hey, my Mom got to lease a new car and buy a decorative fishtank so it all worked out in the end.

anon , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels Report

Final score:

38points

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Ace 4 weeks ago

Some parents suck.

64points

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#22

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My mentor left me a set of wood castanets which I kept for a long time as a reminder who he was to me for so many year

Angela Carleton , Elizabeth Tamara / pexels Report

Final score:

35points

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Paul C. 4 weeks ago

.....which was strange, because he was an electrician!

5points

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#23

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My grandfather gave me a German Iron Cross from WW1 that was brought home by his uncle.

badgrammared , Thomas Quine / flickr Report

Final score:

35points

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censorshipsucks 4 weeks ago

Just don't wear it in public or people will assume you're a nazi, even though this is actually a 2nd reich award.

10points

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#24

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I have inherited no things, no objects of any value whatsoever. My family had no material wealth.

However, from my mother I have inherited two qualities that have been invaluable to me throughout my life. My mother was a saleswoman. In the early days, she sold a variety of things - plastic products, cosmetics door-to-door, the toughest kind of selling there is. Eventually she graduated to b-to-b, and after that, insurance sales, primarily annuities to teachers. She was always successful. People trusted her - because she was trustworthy.

She taught me, first, that whether you like it or not, people will always judge you by how you are dressed, therefore be mindful of that fact; and second, that determination is more often than not, what determines.

These two lessons, which she taught by words, but more truly by actions throughout her life, have marked me indelibly, and I have inherited them.

Most days, I dress well, and indeed, it has been my experience that it affects how I am perceived and welcomed into the world, both publicly and privately. And I am focused and resolute in anything I commence. This has rescued me from many distractions over the years and kept me on track. Still does.

Thanks, Mom.

And thank you, Stephen, for the compliment of the A2A.

Michelle Gaugy , Anna Shvets / pexels Report

Final score:

34points

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Tempest 4 weeks ago

I inherited poor mental health from my mom. No material inheritances either. Thanks? 😵‍💫

12points

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#25

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited It's not mine yet, but my grandma has a sword my grandpa brought back from Japan. It even still has the imperial chrysanthemum stamped onto the blade. She says it's mine someday because my interest in history.

anon , Appie Verschoor / flickr Report

Final score:

33points

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Beth Wheeler 4 weeks ago

That is worth a fortune, it needs to be appraised and insured.

10points

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#26

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I inherited, from my grandmother, a pickelhaube helmet. Judging by the date imprinted on it, it was constructed, or issued in 1914, to a man named C.E. Juncker. Or maybe that is the company that constructed it? I really wouldn’t know, all I know is that it was bought in a thrift store by my great-grandmother in the 1950s. I also know that my grandmother, while she was in high school, wore it as she cycled around on a tricycle at a house party.
My Pickelhaube looks near identical to this, except the Eagle is the same color/material as the spike and mine is just a tad more run down. Other than that, its probably the coolest thing I’ve ever inherited, especially because I am a military helmet collector.

Jack Montgomery Report

Final score:

28points

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censorshipsucks 4 weeks ago

must be worn with handlebar moustache or you are doing it wrong.

11points

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#27

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited A couple of weeks ago some of us Neeners were discussing family members who'd been in WWI.

My grandfather was part of the expeditionary force sent to Europe in 1917. He was assigned to a machine gun crew. His entire squad was gassed by the Germans during the war. He recovered but could only speak softly.

I received his dog tags and a pocket knife. I was the youngest grandchild, still in short pants when he died. I like to think I inherited his love of animals and sense of humor. Both of these are less tangible than perhaps money but of more value than Swiss Francs.

John Flavin , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff / flickr Report

Final score:

27points

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Ace 4 weeks ago

What the hell's a neener?

15points

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#28

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited My dad's smith and wesson 4516. The gun is older than me and it's never failed. All stainless steel and easy to take a part. I'll never part with it.

47sams , Karolina Kaboompics / pexels Report

Final score:

27points

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nottheactualphoto 4 weeks ago

But if you take a part - any part - it won't work anymore. Right?

8points

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#29

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I inherited a bit of a problem that I will likely never be able to bring myself to get rid of.

My dad was a HUGE runner. He ran dozens of races a year and always tried to do at least 12 marathons a year. Though he never did better than 8.

When he was in the hospital before he died, my brother and I mentioned to a nurse that his best Marathon time was 3 hours and 21 minutes. Dad indignantly corrected us to say his best time was 3 hours and 20 minutes.

In his office at HCC, he had an entire wall covered with his medals and plaques from the various races he ran.

So, after he died, his wife boxed up all his medals and plaques and gave them to me. They have been in a box in my hall closet ever since. I have no idea what to do with them.

Just to give everyone an idea of what I am talking about. Turns out about 7 of them are recognition from Dad’s last job or his job in Saudi Arabia. But there are also age group first place for Marathons back in the 1990’s.

I talked to his wife and she said that he basically stopped picking up medals and trophies after his races. All he really cared about was his time So this is just a fraction of the races he won.

Enrique Cerdo Report

Final score:

24points

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Paul C. 4 weeks ago

During the 60's, youth football, 70's and 80's adult football I was quite successful in accumulating medals and trophies, which I always gave to my mum, who proudly displayed them in a cabinet. When she passed, they all came back to me, I now have over 70 in a box which I've never got round to displaying.

5points

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#30

30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited I had an admin (aka: Secretary) who’s grand mother told her that she was going to inherit all three of grand mom’s time shares. This woman understood that the time shares were a horrible financial burden even if they were free, as she’d seen her grand mother have to pay the annual maintenance fees and try to trade her weeks at this “less than” locations with others. These were huge wastes of cash that this woman didn’t have. She tried to talk her grandmother out of it, and came to me scared that she’d be forced to take these properties and not be able to get rid of them.

I explained to her that she really needed to talk to an attorney, but it was my understanding that people listed in a will didn’t necessarily have to accept the things left to them, and these three timeshares were something she didn’t want.

Rick Ferrara , Frans van Heerden / pexels Report

Final score:

19points

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Tabitha 4 weeks ago

Would the timeshare company have to buy them back if she refused them? I'm not sure how all that works, as I didn't trust the idea of timeshares from the beginning. (I'm the same with Bitcoin and all its iterations.When it comes to money and property, if I buy it, I want to own it. A house or condo, or actual money or gold or silver. Not 1/52 of a condo or "money" that isn't backed by anything but the whims of the stock market. You get the picture.)

3points

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Note: this post originally had 43 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

What do you think ?

BookFanatic 4 weeks ago

After I graduated library school, my uncle gave me a stack of smelly old books. They were my grandmother's library school textbooks and they had her handwritten notes in the margins. She died when I was three, so these books are worth their weight in gold to me. Even though I suspect Grammy ate limburger cheese while she studied...

Not a thought but an addition to the post: A friend of 6 years passed away last year (2023) and I have her stubborn Corgi.

howdylee 4 weeks ago

When my mother-in-law passed away, my husband and his brothers divided up her possessions. One thing my husband wanted was an old wooden chair. I thought it was ugly but held my tongue. We get it home and the 70s blue and brown plaid fabric actually looks nice in my blue living room, it got a place of honor and is known as Mom's chair. Turns out it's an original 1917 L&GJ Stickley morris-style chair! A bit beat up so not a ton of value, but still a genuine antique! No one knows who/when it was acquired, as his grandma had it before his mom.

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30 People Share The Best And Strangest Things They Have Inherited

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