Rare piece of history uncovered in mysterious box from yard sale

A simple trip to a yard sale has turned into a hunt for answers, after a man discovered a rare piece of history inside a mysterious box.

Browsing through car boots searching for anything of interest, the man was intrigued to find a collection of old glass plates inside an old box and quickly made the purchase. Curious as to what historic photographs were hidden away, the man used his iPhone and Photoshop to turn each negative into a positive, revealing old family photos.

Determined to uncover the truth behind the photos he found, the man teamed up with his son, Scott Pack, who took to Twitter in hopes of unravelling the mystery.

https://twitter.com/meandmybigmouth/status/1031476453785919488

“My dad was at a boot sale recently and saw this battered old box. He is a fan of boxes, and boxes are made to be opened, so he did what most of us would do and peeked inside,” Pack wrote on Twitter.

Attaching the collection of photos that now clearly displayed a young family, Scott went on to explain how a list was pasted into the lid of the box with French place names mentioned.

https://twitter.com/meandmybigmouth/status/1031477040061534208

“Could have been holiday photographs? Presumably a reasonably well-off family if so? Would love to find out more about them. Or even just date them,” Scott queried.

The post received a flurry of attention from fellow Twitter users who became just as intrigued by the mystery, as Scott continued to post updates as further details were uncovered.

Read more: Old vase found in dusty shoebox fetches $25 million at auction

“The list of photos in the box lid does not seem to correspond to the actual plates. They may refer to holiday photos or images that just weren’t in the box,” he wrote.

“The places listed are nearly all Normandy, certainly all French. The soldier’s uniform probably isn’t from any earlier than 1903. Some of the dresses suggest a bit later but possibly pre World War II. Current feeling is photos were taken in England of an English family.”

The now heavily invested followers praised the man and his son for working to uncover the mystery, claiming how keen they were to find out the truth behind the photographs.

https://twitter.com/meandmybigmouth/status/1031478187144953857

“I think this has to be one of my most favourite tweets of all time. Thank you soo much for sharing these. What a find! I hope you get to know more about the people in the pics,” one user commented.

“This made me a little teary somehow, something about those hopeful faces being rediscovered after so many years,” another added.

“Absolutely love this thread! Thank you for sharing too! I look forward with great interest to hearing the outcome…hope its successful,” a third said.

Although still on the hunt for answers, Scott ensured others he would continue updates as he and his father worked together to solve the old box mystery.

“I am passing on all the Tweets with potential links, tops and sources to my dad and he will wade through them over the coming weeks. He is away for most of September so we are lining up a visit to some London experts for when he gets back,” he wrote.

Have you ever discovered historical items at a yard or garage sale?

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