'I bought jewellery box at charity shop and couldn't believe what was inside'

Hunting for treasures in charity shops can be hit or miss. As the items are donated, no two charity shops will have the same stock, but there's almost always something worth picking up if you know what to look for. From vintage clothing to rare books and gorgeous trinkets, charity shops can be a great place to find amazing items.

One woman believed she hit the jackpot recently when she visited a charity shop and stumbled across a small porcelain jewellery box. Abby Askew shared a video on Instagramin which she said the box had initially caught her eye because it was "cute", but she was compelled to buy it after realising it was mysteriously sealed shut.

Upon shaking the box, Abby could hear there was something inside, which had likely been placed there by the previous owner before the lid was glued shut and the item found its way to a charity shop.

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Abby took the box home and immediately set about trying to open it, being careful not to break the delicate porcelain, because she wanted to use the box once it was open. Her initial theory was there could be "money" inside - but she would soon learn the truth was much more shocking.

After using a hammer to knock a thin metal scraper into the gap between the box and the lid, Abby managed to create enough space to pry the glue away and crack open the case.

But what she found inside made her jaw hit the floor - a small bag containing what appeared to be ashes.

She said: "Oh my God. Is that ashes? I think that's somebody's ashes. I'm about to start crying."

At the end of the video, Abby taped the box back up and said she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep it, knowing what was inside. She later shared a follow-up video in which she said she managed to get in touch with the person who donated it to the charity shop, but it unfortunately didn't lead her to the box's original owner.

She said: "I found the person who donated the ashes to the thrift store. She is actually a vintage reseller, and she bought out what was left over at an estate sale, and this was in it. She said she didn't know what was in it and didn't want to find out what was in it, but the box was too cute to throw away, so she donated it."

Abby said she reached out to the reseller to see if she had any contact information for the previous owner of the box so she could offer to return it, but as of the time of writing, there is no update on the outcome of that.

The woman also mentioned she has a small pet cemetery in her front garden, where previous homeowners have buried lost pets. If she is unable to return the ashes, she plans to bury them, along with the box, in her garden.

Commenters on her original video were equally gobsmacked by the reveal of the ashes inside the box. Many said she should bury the ashes, while others told her to take them back to the charity shop and explain what happened.

One person said: "Put them ashes back in and bury it or something."

Another added: "It's probably a pet remains... find a beautiful spot and scatter them."

A third wrote: "The first thing I thought was it was an ash container, but I was not expecting it to actually be an ash container."

What to do if you find someone's ashes

While upsetting, it's not uncommon for ashes of a loved one or a pet to go unclaimed. They can be found in items picked up in charity shops like Abby's, or even left behind during a house move and discovered by new owners years later.

The first thing you should do if you find ashes that don't belong to you or your family is to try to track down the family they do belong to, as they may not realise they left them behind.

According to The Living Urn, however, if this is not possible, then you should treat them with respect and honour them with a simple memorial. This can include scattering them or burying them.