A French man digging a swimming pool in his backyard stumbled onto a fortune hidden just beneath the surface. The unexpected find: five gold bars and a stash of coins, wrapped in plastic bags, with an estimated value of $800,000, reports CBS News. Per Reuters, the man reported his discovery, made in May in the town of Neuville-sur-Saone, to local cultural authorities, who confirmed the gold had been legally acquired (i.e., it wasn't stolen) and likely melted down at a nearby refinery 15 to 20 years ago.
Because the gold didn't come from an archaeological site and no one could prove prior ownership, officials said the man was entitled to keep his windfall under French law. Specifically, France's civil code states that any hidden or buried object found by chance, with no identifiable owner, belongs to the person who finds it on their own property. The previous owner of the property has died, leaving the origin of the gold a mystery.
As gold prices soar—currently just over $4,000 an ounce, per American Hartford Gold—such discoveries have occasionally made headlines. Last year, a California couple unearthed rare coins worth $10 million on their land. Recent years have seen similar finds in Germany and Britain, where ordinary people renovating or cleaning up have uncovered hidden caches.