PETERSBURG, Mich. (AP) — A retired Michigan autoworker saw a Facebook message from a stranger after midnight. Did you lose your wallet years ago?
“If that’s the case,” the Minnesota man wrote, “It was in the engine bay of the car.”
Richard Guilford couldn’t believe what he was reading on his phone – the mystery of ten years ago was significantly solved.
Guilford’s triple leather wallet – packed with $15, a driver’s license, work ID, $275 worth of gift cards and lottery tickets – appeared under the hood of a repair shop in Lake Crystal, Minnesota.
A Christmas present from Guilford’s sons suddenly became a family treasure once again. “Big Red” was adored because it was known with affection at Ford Motor.
“It restores your faith in humanity when people say, ‘Hey, you lost this, I found this, I’m going to get it back to you,” Guilford said Thursday.
Richard Guilford poses for a portrait with an ID card from his recently recovered wallet, where he lost 11 years ago in Petersburg, Michigan on Thursday, August 14, 2025 (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The wallet was discovered in June by a Chad Fork sandwiched between a 151,000-mile transmission and a 2015 Ford Edge transmission and an air filter box.
“Crazy,” Volk said.
The filter box did not snap into place after repair.
Richard Guilford’s old wallet is seen speaking in an interview in Petersburg, Michigan on Thursday, August 14th, 2025 (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
We’ll be reverting the calendar to Christmas in 2014. Guilford was working on the same car at his Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan. It was on a long line of new vehicles assembled elsewhere that required additional electrical work before being shipped to the dealer.
Guilford later noticed that his wallet fell out of his shirt pocket. He was sure he lost it in the car, but thought it was on the floor of the Ford Flex, not the edge, certainly not the engine.
Guilford saw dozens more, saying he searched 30 to 40 cars, and his colleagues “open the door, look under the seats, look behind them.”
“It’s not too long to find this because you have to work. I’m on the clock,” he recalled the emotions. “There’s no luck. Life went on.”
Guilford, now 56 years old and living in Petersburg, Michigan, retired from Ford in 2024 nearly 35 years later. He removed his wallet from his head long ago until he received a message on Facebook that said his profile worked for Ford.
Volk messaged a photo of the wallet and included his driver’s license. “Big Red” saw the younger version with his reddish beard.
Richard Guilford will speak in an interview in front of items found in lost wallets in Petersburg, Michigan on Thursday, August 14th, 2025 (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“What was surprising to me was that it was so protected,” Guilford said of his wallet as he traced the history of the car. “Think about this: 11 years, rain, snow. In Minnesota, I cried out loud. It was Arizona that was purchased.
A Ford spokesperson said Deep called it a “money-fitting repair,” adding, “Can you imagine the odds?”
Outdoor retailer Cabela said the $250 on the gift card remains valid, but offers to offer him a new card anyway. Guilford doesn’t know the status of the $25 card from Outback Steakhouse. The lottery numbers on my wallet had disappeared long ago.
“I’ll put it all back and leave it as is. It’s sitting in a cabinet house in China and that’s for my kids,” said Guilford, a part-time auctioneer. “They can tell my great grandson about it. We’re very interested in the story. I like Therin’s story.
___
Vancleve was reported from Crystal Lake, Minnesota.
