Before he left Zweibrí¼cken, Germany in 1960, an American soldier took his sergeant's advice and bought a going-away gift for himself and his father.

He picked out a pair of Rolex watches, one that was gold plated for his dad and a 1960 GMT Master for himself. This was before Rolex, the Swiss watchmakers known for their technical genius and great designs, had become a household name.

All the young man knew about the watches was that his sergeant called them "the best in the world." So decades later when he got them appraised he was shocked by how much his was worth.

The soldier spent $120 for the watch, which was more than a month's salary when he was in the army.

Still, it was a great deal even back then. The Master is a great looking and very precise watch, so accurate that it could be used to measure science experiments - they sure don't make them like they used to!

Luckily, the soldier kept all of the receipts, paperwork, the old band, and even the box for his watch.

According to the expert who examined the watch, it could be worth as much as $40,000 now. The old man was already shocked to learn this, but he had another surprise in store. Saving the box and a few other pieces raised the price by at least $20,000, meaning his antique could be auctioned off for up to $70,000.

That's not too shabby, especially considering the soldier would have been happy with just $1,500!

This just proves that you should never throw away your old antiques. You can never guess what they'll be worth someday!