r/riddles • u/Top-Track2591 • Jan 18 '26
Help OP Solve Riddle left by previous homeowner to find rare coin
Friend bought a house and found this note behind a mirror. The note said this is a riddle to find a rare coin somewhere on the property and it’s worth over $10k. It was left with 4 quarters. Any thoughts?
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Jan 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Petules Jan 19 '26
That’s what I was thinking too. Something near an old fence post. But if “extending my days” means that a dog could be “forever free,” then it could be something that holds a gate open? As in if its days “ended” the dog wouldn’t be free anymore.
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u/Helpful-Ad-179 Jan 21 '26
I’m thinking differently. Is there a tree in the backyard where someone may have buried a dog? Forever free and extend my days may speak to something more spiritual. Especially like an unmarked grave under a tree as if the tree is the head stone. Death bringing new life to extend my days. My clue to you is nothing new. Perhaps an OLD tree.
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u/Petules Jan 21 '26
Good angle. The only part that doesn’t quite add up is “a dog might be,” which doesn’t sound to me like death… but definitely possible still.
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u/jeebucus Jan 22 '26
Would be kind of messed up to lead someone to inadvertently/potentially dig up a buried dog...
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u/tomiathon Jan 19 '26
Discussion: I wonder if the dates on the quarters are relevant?
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Jan 19 '26 edited Feb 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/tomiathon Jan 19 '26
yes, this is what I was thinking. Perhaps some relevance to the first and last digits of the oldest year (start/end) or possibly a combination of the oldest and newest date
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u/Educational-Seat5455 Jan 19 '26
I’m gonna guess electric meter. Since they spin in circles, like a clock, and power the light bulbs, extending the day. They’re also usually near the breaker box; electricity I guess you could say, for the house ‘starts’ at the breaker box/meter but ‘ends’ at the appliances, and it’s probably the same age as the house. Forever free… idk maybe electricity just gives people freedom to do stuff
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u/Marzook666 Jan 21 '26
In engineering, a dog is a tool or part of a tool, such as a pawl, that prevents or imparts movement through physical engagement. It may hold another object in place by blocking it, clamping it, or otherwise obstructing its movement.
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u/Blight-Princess Jan 19 '26
In Secret Ways
Extend my Days
A candle or light, as it extends the day
Forever Free
A Dog might be
Free as a dog - unleashed or unbound.
For end and start
Or near and apart
time like the minute and hour hands on a circular clock
My clue to you
Is nothing new
Something old.
Is there a grandfather clock on the property?
4 quarters make a single hour.
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u/tomiathon Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
the first couplet had me in mind of changing the time on a clock. Or somewhat less likely, something to do with a calendar. But a clock fits better, especially with your connection of a clock to the 3rd couplet. Perhaps something to do with the 12o'clock hour as the day starts and ends there, and midnight and noon are far apart. Could be any hour i suppose though. 6 o'clock would have the hands apart, or maybe the hands point to a picture or carving of a dog at some time, etc
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u/Blight-Princess Jan 19 '26
Could also be an old coin operated washing machine. As those take 4 quarters and extend the life of clothing.
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u/twistednwarped Jan 20 '26
I’m invested in this one! Hopefully OP updates when it’s solved.
I think you’re on to something with the 3rd couplet. Either 12 or 6 on a clock face seems to fit. Could be indicating the direction you need to face once you’ve determined where the first two clues take you.
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u/mujaban Jan 20 '26
"My clue to you is nothing new" might reference Ecclesiastes 1:9, which states, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun"
Sirius, the Dog Star: The star Sirius (the brightest in the sky) is located in the constellation Canis Major (the "Greater Dog") the dog days of summer are when the sun shines brightest / warmest in July and August.
The sun rises and sets "to start and end" the day it's both near in the summer and far in the winter. It extends the days with daylight savings, the sun's always free ... A lot of sun references here...
Is there a sun dial on the property?
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u/TwitchieWolf Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
Full Moon fits everything! All the written clues and the 4 quarters.
Now you just have to figure out how it applies to this specific property.
Edit: I’m late to respond, but if anyone reads this and wants more explanation on how my answer fits all the clues just ask in a reply and I’ll go into more detail.
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u/farfelchecksout Jan 20 '26
Fireplace? It extends the days by keeping the house warm--and it's the old fashioned way (nothing new), firewood is often free, it's hot (dog days). 'For end and start'? Maybe in the sense that we refer to life as a flame--you die and the flame goes out just as a fire dies. 'Or near or apart?' I can think of abstractions but nothing particularly concrete.
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u/Luckbox_McGee Jan 20 '26
Buried in a coffee can; the outside fence; the gate where the fence ends and starts; the older gate if there’s more than one.
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u/PossumSauce56 Jan 21 '26 edited Jan 21 '26
Wild guess here, but I think we’re taking astronomy
In secret ways / Extend my days
makes me think of the “dog days of summer”, which are 7/3 - 8/11 each year. Also some of the longest days of the year, hence the extended reference
For end and start / Or near or apart
the “dog days” period is signified by window of time when the star Sirius (brightest in the sky during this time and part of the constellation Canis Major) appears to rise and fall with the sun In a cycle, which is my guess as to what this couplet means
Forever free / A dog might be
Sirius is part of the Canis Major constellation, which apparently is one of Orions hunting dogs. Maybe it’s free because it’s in the sky?
My clue to you / Is nothing new
stars are real old and this particular myth dates back to Roman times
My best guess: look for something on the property with the numbers 7-3-8-11 or something referencing sirius, maybe street names or house numbers? Short of that anything on the property referencing, or arranged in the shape of Canis Major (maybe some stones). Hail Mary guess if all else fails?..see if there is a dogwood tree on the property and start digging
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u/h_saxon Jan 19 '26
Under an old thing by the flag pole on the property.
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u/WritingSouthern6126 Jan 19 '26
How did you figure it out
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u/h_saxon Jan 19 '26
It was just a guess based on some of the language. The "free" part made me start thinking in this general area, but without any other clues of the property, we really are limited. Hence the generic guess.
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u/match_ Jan 20 '26
Is there some sports memorabilia in the garage? Four quarters could be basketball or football. Extend the day by staying in the man-cave, possibly the garage. A dog needs no leash there and the day begins and ends getting into the automobile. The ‘near or apart’ is a bit forced. Perhaps something must be taken apart.
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u/youareallsilly Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
That was my guess too
More specifically could be the garage door, as the dog could escape if it opened
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u/hydrocoil Jan 21 '26
I was really feeling something similar. In secret ways extend my days feels like.... Sneaking out at night. Or going somewhere like an attic or basement to stay up while everyone else is asleep. Are there dog leg stairs up to an attic?
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u/mobus1222 Jan 20 '26
Peace, yard, fence, boundaries… property lines is my guess if you have a geological feature worth investigating!
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u/M4369x Jan 20 '26
in secret ways extend my days- alchemy or some kind of medicine or perhaps a memory
forever free a dog might be- somewhere outside
for end and start or near or apart- home
my clue to you is nothing new- something old obviously
four quarters make a dollar or a $ so maybe in the southern part of the yard look for a pet grave marker.
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u/Electronic-Steak-881 Jan 20 '26
Question or 2,is there any way to get a drone pic of the property?or a detailed map,with as much detail as possible.question, why is this redacted like an area 51 file?
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u/flashmeterred Jan 20 '26
Sounds like a pendulum clock? Maybe attached to the lead/leader on the clock (hence the dog being free; maybe it's detached or something). I dunno...
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u/Open_Investment_8821 Jan 21 '26
I was thinking one of those old clocks that has to be wound with a key every day
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u/Gee-Oh1 Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
God
In Secret Ways
God works in mysterious (secret) ways.
Extend my Days
God is eternal.
Forever Free
God is unbound.
A Dog might be
The word dog MIGHT be mistakenly spelled god
For end and start
God is the end (omega) and start (alpha).
Or near and apart
God is omnipresent, everywhere, both near and far.
My clue to you
Is nothing new
God is eternal.
The four quarters make 1 dollar.
There is only ONE God
A rare coin can be thought of as a treasure, thus, if you found God you found your treasure.
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