4.3 billion pieces of luggage are checked in by airlines worldwide each year, and 25 million of them are lost in transit. If owners don’t get their 0.03% of the loss after 90 days, the luggage is sold “as is” without being opened. Hugo Owens typically purchases similar bags. Nobody valued bags in the 1970s of the previous century, but Hugo Owens believed he could profit from misplaced unclaimed baggage. A minor airline sold him the first batch of misplaced baggage, which he then sold over the weekend. By 1978, Owens was spending $3,000 a month on suitcases. The contents are always a mystery. before we open. According to Owens, it’s a pig in a poke, and customers pay extra for a surprise.

The majority of the time, luggage contains clothing, accessories, headphones, small devices, and pillows. But there are even more intriguing discoveries: Hugo has amassed a sizable collection of timepieces and musical instruments during the course of the company’s operations.

Occasionally, incredibly valuable items are discovered. One time Owens bought a duct-taped box, and inside was a Gucci suitcase stuffed with 1500 BC treasures from ancient Egypt. Today, Owens’ business is still successful. Things left behind by their owners bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the business.