Fortunate furniture shopper finds $43k stuffed in couch he bought from a thrift store… and gives it back – The US Sun
Olivia Shea
Published Sep 12, 2026
A MICHIGAN man who bought a couch from a thrift store was astonished to find bundles of cash hidden inside the cushions - more than $43,000.
Howard Kirby of Owosso, Michigan, about 30 miles west of Flint, purchased the second-hand sofa from a Habitat for Humanity store in December, CBS reported.
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After complaining to his daughter about uncomfortable lumps in the couch, she decided to open it up. They couldn’t believe it when they saw the piles of money.
The pair counted up the cash and found it totalled $43,170.
Most would be thrilled to find $50 between the couch cushions - let alone tens of thousands of dollars - so it’s only natural that Kirby might’ve considered keeping it.
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But even after consulting a lawyer who advised Kirby he was under no obligation to return it, he decided he would try to find the rightful owner of the money.
“I always thought, 'What would I do if that ever happened?' Now I know, and it makes me feel good,” Kirby told CBS, adding that even though he could really use the money for a new roof, he couldn’t morally keep the cash.
The Habitat for Humanity store informed Kirby the couch had been donated by a woman named Kim Fauth-Newberry. The couch belonged to her grandfather, who died last year.
Fauth-Newberry unwittingly donated the couch after her grandfather passed away, with no idea he'd hidden more than $43,000 inside.
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Store owner Rick Merling informed Fauth-Newberry, who was shocked at the discovery of her grandfather’s savings - and that they were being returned to her.
“It’s just crazy,” Fauth-Newberry said. “It’s completely awesome.”
Store owner Merling praised Kirby for his good deed.
“To me, this is someone that despite what they’re going through – and in spite of their own needs – says ‘I’m just going to do the right thing,’” he said.
