Phone Dropped Down Fireplace in 1894 House—Shock at What Else Woman Finds

A woman whose daughter dropped her phone behind her old fireplace was amazed by what she found in there.

Jill Mandley lives in a 130-year-old house in Toronto and is restoring it with her husband. When the daughter dropped her phone behind the mantle where the fireplace sits, the couple were blown away by the old items hidden there.

“Our phone accidentally slid behind the mantelpiece, so we carefully used a crowbar to pull the mantel forward and retrieve it,” she told Newsweek. “While doing so, my husband noticed other objects hidden behind the mantel, covered in layers of dust.”

Mandley posted to Instagram a video showing the surprise discovery, and it has received over 40,000 views since it was shared on November 8. In the clip, we see Mandley’s husband gently pulling out the artifacts from behind the mantle, revealing them to be a number of pieces of paper covered in dust.

Mandley told Newsweek: “I reluctantly reached behind and uncovered a treasure trove: 12 Christmas cards from the early 1900s, including one from 1927 with a small plastic calendar tucked inside. Most of the cards feature gothic-style fonts, limited colors like black and red, and some were even sent by reverends or churches. Interestingly, none of the cards were addressed.

“This find is just one of several treasures we’ve discovered in our home, which has remained largely untouched over its 130-year history. We’re committed to restoring it to its original Victorian beauty and will continue to share our journey on social media,” she said.

In a follow-up video, Mandley brushes the dust from the old cards and reveals the Christmas wishes shared by people from nearly 100 years ago. In the caption of the second video, she says that one of the cards dates back to 1927.

In the card, the message reads: “All we need to make our Christmas just the finest we’ve had yet is to know we’re not forgotten by the ones we can’t forget.”

She also said the cards are like “anything you’d see today.” Some are thin and delicate and others thicker. Most of them are one-sided and much smaller than standard modern Christmas cards.

Christmas cards have been a tradition for well over a century. The Postal Museum says the first commercially sold Christmas card was created by Sir Henry Cole in 1843.

Mandley received comments from fascinated viewers of the viral video.

“The phone knew what it was doing,” said @idotoo.social.

User @rochellebragg commented: “Ok chills.”

“This is just the beginning! I feel like you’re going to find treasures and historically rich stories at every turn!” said @1975tbird.

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