Sew interesting! Upholsterers have revealed the unusual things they’ve found down the back of a piece of furniture, including drugs, bullets – and even this dead lizard. While some of the more common discoveries include LEGO pieces, key fobs, spoons, and dirty socks, others have dug out fully sprouting seeds, gold teeth, and coins.
And one upholsterer even found a photo of Burt Reynolds buried deep in a sofa.
The bullets were discovered in a classic 1953 Plymouth car in the UK, with ballistics experts reporting two of them had been fired – sparking curiosity about the vehicle’s past life.
Another unlucky upholsterer sadly had the misfortune of digging down the back of a sofa that had been stored in a shed – only to find the remains of a cat who’d got stuck there, while another found a deceased lizard.
Some other unusual finds included passports, condoms, billiard balls, sex toys, and unspent gift cards – which must have been frustrating for their owner.
A spokesman for GB Foam Direct, which compiled the research from the responses of upholsterers in a Facebook group of more than 19,000 enthusiasts and experts, said: “These findings demonstrate that each piece of furniture carries a unique story.
“Every reupholstery job offers a chance to delve into the past, and sometimes uncover something unexpected.
“Who knows what happened to some of these things to end up with the extras they did – and how much the owners of the items ended up missing them.”
Other finds while working on furniture, after pulling back the layers of fabric and foam, included plenty of food – such as peanuts and popcorn, as well as a 25-year-old bottle of beer.
Scissors and remotes were also discovered buried, along with wedding rings and mobile phones.
And while many of us have lost some cash down the back of the sofa over the years, one upholsterer came across £40 of loose change in one piece of furniture – and another found $1,000 dollars wrapped up in a dish cloth.
Some found illegal drugs, particularly inside commercial seating used in places such as bars and restaurants – with small wraps of cocaine and bags of cannabis among the most common finds.
And while it’s not uncommon to find the occasional sweet wrapper stuffed down the back of a sofa cushion, one upholsterer discovered a chair arm frame filled to the brim with various mini chocolate wrappers.
But another had a fright after discovering a – luckily empty – wasp’s nest, which took up the entire back of the sofa.
Others have come across a used pregnancy test strip, a property deed, and someone’s will, with one even discovering a raw egg – in a 50-year-old chair.