WATCH – ‘Such a Kind Gesture’: Atlanta Mother’s Lost Wallet Returned to Family 65 Years Later

A wallet lost 65 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, is now back where it belongs after being found in an odd place.

In 1958, housewife Floy Culbreth went to visit the Plaza Theatre but misplaced her wallet while she was there, USA Today reported Sunday.

During renovations in October, workers at the theater found it tucked in an old closet, and Plaza owner Christopher Escobar said it was laying underneath a pipe. Once they examined the article, they realized it was something special.

The items in the folds included a gas receipt, a photo of the woman’s father, and raffle tickets for a 1959 Chevrolet.

Images show the renovated room where it was found and a gloved hand carefully holding the wallet itself:

Wallet lost 65 years ago returned to stunned family after being found in Atlanta movie theater wall: ‘A flood of memories’ https://t.co/gtr0DIp1K9 pic.twitter.com/OFSnuHCMq3

— New York Post (@nypost) December 26, 2023

“I mean this is a treasure trove of 1958,” Escobar told Atlanta News First, noting they eventually found the family it belonged to after locating an obituary that helped in finding Culbreth’s relatives.

The woman’s daughter, Thea Chamberlain, along with other relatives later visited the Plaza to retrieve the special piece of family history.

Chamberlain said, “Everything about her, just about, was in there. Her family pictures. Her library card. Her Rich’s and Davison’s (department store) credit cards. It just brought back a ton of memories and still is. The memories are still flooding in for all of us about her.”

Another image shows the wallet with stacks of cards being taken out of it.

Chamberlain was moved by Escobar’s efforts to reunite the family with the item.

“Chris (Escobar) didn’t realize … what sharing this wallet has meant. I think a simple thing like finding this wallet and reaching out is just such a kind gesture. Reach out to people because you never know what you’re going to do for their family,” she said.

In 2021, a similar instance happened in Ventura, California, when a woman got a wallet back that she lost 46 years prior while the historic Majestic Ventura Theater was being remodeled, Breitbart News reported at the time.