Man makes incredible discovery in thrift store suitcase, searches for rightful owner



BOULDER, Colo. - A man visiting from Egypt found $10,000 in gold coins in a suitcase he bought at a thrift store for his trip home - and instead of keeping it, he spent an entire week tracking down the coins' original owner.

Ahmed Mohamed Fahmy Yousef was at University of Colorado Boulder for the academic year as a visiting faculty member. In preparing for his trip home, the researcher purchased a suitcase at a thrift store. When he got home, he noticed the suitcase wouldn't stay balanced. He opened up a pocket and found an envelope containing $10,000 in gold coins inside.

Ahmed is Muslim and said his faith instructed him to give it back.

"You should deliver to the right person, whatever effort or time. So I follow my ethics," Ahmed told KDVR.

"I received a phone call from a man who asked me if I was James Noble. And that’s my father who passed away four years ago. And I was definitely on guard with all the scam phone calls out there," said Noble.

"He said he had to meet me in person, which was odd. And I thought this is definitely a level up from the normal scam. I was like, 'OK I’ll meet you in a public place," said Noble.

"He said I have something for you and he produced all these gold coins," said Noble. "He gave it back to me and I was like, I couldn’t believe it. I was crying. It was unbelievable."

"This is a fantastic experience in my life," said Ahmed.

"Something like this you hope breaks down those walls a little bit," said Noble.

"I am excited to live out this positive message about my country, about my religion," said Ahmed.