A Michigan man made a surprising discovery after purchasing a sofa at a thrift store. He found a large sum of money – over $40,000 – inside one of the cushions.

Howard Kirby purchased the furniture from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Owosso. The sofa sat in his living room for several weeks until he noticed one of the footrests felt too hard.

Curious, Kirby decided to check the contents. His daughter-in-law carefully opened the cushion and discovered wads of cash inside. After counting, the total amount was $43,170.

The man sought legal advice and learned that he could legally keep the money. However, he decided to take a different approach and contacted the store to find the sofa’s previous owners.

It soon became clear that the furniture belonged to an older man who had recently passed away. His granddaughter, Kim Faught-Newberry, was surprised by the news—the family had no idea her grandfather had hidden such a large sum of money in the sofa.

Interestingly, the sofa was nearly destroyed. According to relatives, they seriously considered simply burning the furniture if they couldn’t donate it to a thrift store.

Luckily, the sofa was eventually found at the store, and the money was returned to the family of its former owner.