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OAKLAND, Calif. — A group of students cleaning a local lake as a part of a school project were surprised last week to discover more than what they had bargained for.
Sixth-graders at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland, Calif. were rewarded for their efforts not with the usual debris to be found along the shores of the lake, but with two bags of "buried treasure."
There were two 15-pound bags of valuables, including antique jewelry, a pocket watch, a switchblade and even a pair of silver candlesticks. There were mounds of foreign coins and even a few military medals scattered throughout. One bag had "Wells Fargo" stamped on the front.
The bags were turned over to Oakland police, who are investigating the find by trying to match the goods with records of missing items. Unclaimed items will be returned to the school.
Richard Bailey, executive director of the Lake Merritt Institute, pulled on his hip boots and retrieved the bags for the students out of three feet of water. Students told the Oakland Tribune they had thought the bags would contain water, or perhaps even scrap metal. Certainly not treasure.
Bailey concurred, adding, "We've had some unusual things, but this is really pretty unusual."
The class participates in a lake clean-up day every Thursday as a part of a community service and cleaning project, but typically finds nothing more interesting than some clothing, or the occasional cell phone.
One student's father told the Tribune he hoped the police and community members could solve the mystery, and that he was proud of his daughter for helping with the find.
"It's incredible; it's unbelievable," he said. "These are like antique, very old, very valuable, very personal items."
