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Woman Realizes The $1 “Paperweight” She Bought Is Actually An Urn With Someone’s Ashes, Finds The Owners
Woman Realizes The $1 “Paperweight” She Bought Is Actually An Urn With Someone’s Ashes, Finds The Owners
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Woman Realizes The $1 “Paperweight” She Bought Is Actually An Urn With Someone’s Ashes, Finds The Owners

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Wellington-based Jessica Roberts was exploring a yard sale with her son when she found a heart-shaped paperweight for just $1 and decided to bring it home. 5 years later, she found out that the beautiful ornate item might not be what it initially seemed to be. The story took an unexpected turn when Roberts discovered she might have accidentally bought an urn after seeing a similar item listed on Amazon. She was shocked by the fact that someone’s cremated ashes had somehow ended up with her and went on a mission to find the rightful owners of such an important item.

Roberts hoped she would be able to give the urn back to whoever it belongs to this Christmas season and she succeeded. Read the full story with Roberts’ comments below!

More info: Facebook

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    5 years ago, Roberts bought a $1 paperweight at a yard sale, which she recently found out was actually an urn without any engravings

    Image credits: Bruce Bishop

    “About 5 years ago, I had come across this item at a yard sale while out with my son. He had wanted me to buy it so that he could give it to me as a gift. I had believed it was a paperweight and thought it was pretty so I bought it for $1. A few years went by and then last Monday, I was looking at random items on Amazon and saw an advertisement for this same item and became curious. When I clicked on the advertisement, I was shocked to find out that it was an urn and not a paperweight. I thought to myself that there was no way there were remains inside. I left it alone that evening but tossed and turned all night thinking about it,” Roberts told Bored Panda.

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    Roberts took her story to Facebook for advice

    Image credits: jessica.roberts.100

    People had some suggestions on what the unexpected find could be and what Roberts should do with it

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    Roberts jokingly reacted to the comments by saying: “I’ll probably just end up giving it a nickname and adopting it as part of the family and stop using her or him as a paperweight. Give it a nice spot on the mantle and call it Aunt Thomas since I don’t know what gender they are.”

    The next morning, Roberts finally opened the urn just to see that there were, in fact, ashes inside, so she decided to find the rightful owner

    Image credits: jessica.roberts.100

    “So the next morning, when I woke up for work, I decided to peek inside to see if there was anything inside. Upon opening it, I discovered that there were, in fact, remains inside. I immediately decided to take pictures and turn to social media for help finding the rightful home for this urn. Within hours, screenshots had been shared on multiple pages and it was an amazing outpour of people who wanted to help. Later that evening, the local newspaper contacted me to run a story and help in my search. The next morning, I was contacted by the husband of the woman who had lost the urn.”

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    Roberts found out that the urn belongs to a woman who had lost it years ago and contains her father’s ashes. Roberts returned the urn to her husband and it will be a precious Christmas surprise for the woman

    Image credits: jessica.roberts.100

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    “His wife’s family had seen the post and recognized it as the missing piece to a matching set of urns containing the remains of his wife’s father. Years earlier, his wife had left an abusive partner who had kept her belongings out of spite. Somehow, this urn ended up in my hands and I had kept it safe for years without knowing how important it really was. The couple has recently had a child and the woman recently expressed the regret of losing her father’s remains because it felt like he could not be there in spirit. After speaking with the husband for some time to confirm it was, in fact, his father-in-law’s remains, I was able to meet with him to return the urn. He plans to surprise her with the urn Christmas morning and her father’s remains can finally rest where they belong—with her. After how miserable 2020 has been, I feel truly honored to be able to bring someone a little bit of joy for the Christmas season.”

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    Hidrėlėy

    Hidrėlėy

    Author, Approved Contributor

    Read more »

    I am a Brazilian digital artist who loves transforming imagination into hyper-real visuals. I work with artificial intelligence and image editing to create what I always wondered as a child: how would our favorite characters look in real life? Over time, many of my artworks have gone viral and were featured in international publications. I have recreated realistic versions of cartoon characters such as Disney and The Simpsons, imagined how celebrities who died young would look today, and even gave modern faces to historical figures like Mona Lisa or Shakespeare. Beyond entertainment, I created Para Não Esquecer, a social project that revisits memorable criminal cases in Brazil. My goal is to honor victims, keep memory alive and remind society that justice and empathy matter. I also write for Bored Panda, where I create articles featuring artists, photographers, rescue stories and feel-good moments from around the world. My work aims to highlight creativity, kindness and emotional storytelling. In everything I do, my purpose is the same: to touch hearts, evoke emotion and make people feel something real.

    Read less »
    Hidrėlėy

    Hidrėlėy

    Author, Approved Contributor

    I am a Brazilian digital artist who loves transforming imagination into hyper-real visuals. I work with artificial intelligence and image editing to create what I always wondered as a child: how would our favorite characters look in real life? Over time, many of my artworks have gone viral and were featured in international publications. I have recreated realistic versions of cartoon characters such as Disney and The Simpsons, imagined how celebrities who died young would look today, and even gave modern faces to historical figures like Mona Lisa or Shakespeare. Beyond entertainment, I created Para Não Esquecer, a social project that revisits memorable criminal cases in Brazil. My goal is to honor victims, keep memory alive and remind society that justice and empathy matter. I also write for Bored Panda, where I create articles featuring artists, photographers, rescue stories and feel-good moments from around the world. My work aims to highlight creativity, kindness and emotional storytelling. In everything I do, my purpose is the same: to touch hearts, evoke emotion and make people feel something real.

    Violeta Draseikaitė

    Violeta Draseikaitė

    Moderator, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    My name is Violeta and I am an editor here at Bored Panda. I love reading memes for a living. It’s obviously much more than that, but I appreciate the variety of topics, information, and pics I get to see every day and share with the world! Those funny memes really make my day too. Being born in the ’90s in post-Soviet Lithuania speaks more about me than I’d like to admit. I’m still learning about the world and myself, but I do love my friends, traveling, art, and my cat. My favorite fact to share about myself is that I used to hide meatballs in my friend’s pockets at lunch so I could go play outside. I wish all those meatballs could find their way back to me someday.

    Read less »

    Violeta Draseikaitė

    Violeta Draseikaitė

    Moderator, BoredPanda staff

    My name is Violeta and I am an editor here at Bored Panda. I love reading memes for a living. It’s obviously much more than that, but I appreciate the variety of topics, information, and pics I get to see every day and share with the world! Those funny memes really make my day too. Being born in the ’90s in post-Soviet Lithuania speaks more about me than I’d like to admit. I’m still learning about the world and myself, but I do love my friends, traveling, art, and my cat. My favorite fact to share about myself is that I used to hide meatballs in my friend’s pockets at lunch so I could go play outside. I wish all those meatballs could find their way back to me someday.

    What do you think ?
    Rainbow Panda
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Aww. Thank you for returning it! ❤️

    E Menendez
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So wonderful - the universe chose to find the right keeper and enlisted her son to help!

    Brònach
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So glad she found the owners.

    Sherry Harvey
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wonderful ending to the story of the woman who had lost her father’s remains. I have a question, though. Is that what human ashes look like? It doesn’t look like ashes. It looks more like scotch tape than ashes.

    H Edwards
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think the ashes are inside a plastic bag

    Load More Replies...
    Jim Price
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Writing from Christmas day, I hope the poster can give us an update on the lady's reaction. Having safely interred my parent and grandparents ashes in their respective memorial cities I can understand how deeply satisfying the feeling of completion can be in their final resting places. I'm feeling mild distress that my dog's ashes are resting in a box in a storage facility out of my sight, and I know exactly where they are and can go get them at any time I find a place to have them out. (I'm in a shared house with little space for such things)

    Nothanks L. Walk
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Truly a wonderful story and magical gesture; really warms the heart to see that even after the cataclysm of 2020, human kindness, empathy, and love, remains unbroken.

    Dorothy Parker
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A perfect story tonight, 1:15am Christmas morning in a few hours. I just wanted to know/unsee what was showing at that opening in the urn.

    DogMatic
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A small sealed/'zip-lock' plastic bag, containing a small amount of cremains (cremated remains).

    Load More Replies...
    Elizabeth Molloy
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    After the crappy year we're all enduring, it's so wonderful to see someone making such an effort to do good. What a lovely - and very moving - surprise. I'll be thinking of the woman who will be receiving this tomorrow (Xmas day).

    Teresa Taylor
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    For all of the negative things that happen online, there are many more wholesome and uplifting stories such as this one. I'm so glad the cremains will be returned to the family.

    Load More Comments
    Rainbow Panda
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Aww. Thank you for returning it! ❤️

    E Menendez
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So wonderful - the universe chose to find the right keeper and enlisted her son to help!

    Brònach
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So glad she found the owners.

    Sherry Harvey
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wonderful ending to the story of the woman who had lost her father’s remains. I have a question, though. Is that what human ashes look like? It doesn’t look like ashes. It looks more like scotch tape than ashes.

    H Edwards
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think the ashes are inside a plastic bag

    Load More Replies...
    Jim Price
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Writing from Christmas day, I hope the poster can give us an update on the lady's reaction. Having safely interred my parent and grandparents ashes in their respective memorial cities I can understand how deeply satisfying the feeling of completion can be in their final resting places. I'm feeling mild distress that my dog's ashes are resting in a box in a storage facility out of my sight, and I know exactly where they are and can go get them at any time I find a place to have them out. (I'm in a shared house with little space for such things)

    Nothanks L. Walk
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Truly a wonderful story and magical gesture; really warms the heart to see that even after the cataclysm of 2020, human kindness, empathy, and love, remains unbroken.

    Dorothy Parker
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A perfect story tonight, 1:15am Christmas morning in a few hours. I just wanted to know/unsee what was showing at that opening in the urn.

    DogMatic
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A small sealed/'zip-lock' plastic bag, containing a small amount of cremains (cremated remains).

    Load More Replies...
    Elizabeth Molloy
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    After the crappy year we're all enduring, it's so wonderful to see someone making such an effort to do good. What a lovely - and very moving - surprise. I'll be thinking of the woman who will be receiving this tomorrow (Xmas day).

    Teresa Taylor
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    For all of the negative things that happen online, there are many more wholesome and uplifting stories such as this one. I'm so glad the cremains will be returned to the family.

    Load More Comments
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