HIDDEN TREASURE

Andrea Redhead made thousands from a gift gathering dust in the drawer

- MISHAAL KHAN

As my godfather, my Uncle Joe, handed me an intricate pocket watch with Roman numerals, and a dazzling gold Rolex watch with diamonds around the face, I could tell it meant a lot to him. 'Look after them for me," he said. 'Of course, I promised. I was in my teens and Uncle Joe in his 70s. His treasures looked shiny and I liked how the diamonds glistened, but I was too young to appreciate them.

Uncle Joe doted on me, with no children of his own, and he spent a lot of time in our family home. He was always lovely, caring, and gave me gifts over the years, including a radiogram.

SAFEKEEPING

I knew how special the gifts were, especially as I'd always watch Uncle Joe fiddle with his pocket watch so I put them away in a trinket box.

A few years later, Uncle Joe passed away from cancer and we were all devastated. I held onto his watches, but as a young adult, I still didn't value them as much as I should.