Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for August 12, 2015
Transcript:
US President Abraham Lincoln's coffin was moved 17 times after his funeral and was kept under a pile of lumber for a time to hide it from grave robbers. Raffi Stepanian makes his living by searching the sidewalks of NYC's diamond district with tweezers and a butter knife, collecting lost jewelry and gems. Toys ahoy! In 1992, 29,000 rubber toy animals fell off a ship into the Pacific, traveling thousands of miles, they are now used to map ocean currents!
Templo S.U.D. about 9 years ago
What an interesting job, Raffi. As for Abe’s coffin, that’s pretty genius.
Captain Colorado about 9 years ago
Urban mining.
corpcasselbury about 9 years ago
A gang still managed to dig him up and carry him off, intending to exchange Mr. Lincoln for a friend of theirs being held in jail. They were caught, and Mr. Lincoln now rests beneath a very large slab of concrete.
captainofgondor about 9 years ago
I’ve heard of Raffi before. The guy makes a VERY good living!
Old Texan75 about 9 years ago
I read about some guy who fishes cellphones, wallets, elecronic gadgets out of the street drains. Is this the same guy?
Marblemouth about 9 years ago
How do all those diamonds get on the sidewalk? Do most diamond brokers have holes in their pockets?
Peam Premium Member about 9 years ago
I remember the 1992 disaster – covering the Pacific with little yellow ducks! I had a friend who thought she’d picked on up in California a year of so later.
Stephen Gilberg about 9 years ago
So, what’s his average annual income?
Nicole ♫ ⊱✿ ◕‿◕✿⊰♫ Premium Member about 9 years ago
He was in the news in 2011. You can thank the NY Post and the Dailymail too. ;)
boldyuma about 9 years ago
Never mind being mugged..If he goes to the diamond district in New York the Haddisach Jews would beat hell out of him!…lol..
spaced man spliff about 9 years ago
Raffi makes me wanna get a metal detector to patrol the beaches at Malibu after the rich beachgoers leave.
charliefarmrhere about 9 years ago
@Marblemouth—Read the story link from Nicole. The work done with thousands of jewels/jewelry is done in the buildings, & some get accidentally spilled/lost onto the floors, & picked up on (stick to) the bottom of shoes. Once outside on the sidewalks just outside of these buildings, they fall off from contact with the concrete sidewalks, & fall into the cracks dividing the sections of the sidewalks. They really should sweep their floors more often to retrieve them.
charliefarmrhere about 9 years ago
It is not shoddy work that causes them to fall on the floor, just careless housekeeping & handling of hundreds of small loose gems on their work benches.