One man's trash … is another man's treasure

A woman in New York is walking to work one day, minding her own business, when she spots a large painting on the ground. It turns out the painting is worth $1 million.

Car cleaners in St. Petersburg are cleaning out a vacuum, when they find a diamond pendant worth $475,000.

A woman in Austria is "Dumpster diving," and she finds a crucifix. She discovers the crucifix is from medieval times. The artifact may be worth more than $536,000.

Stories of lost treasure found abound in the news and on the Internet. It seems the trash can is a common place to get lucky.

But if you saw something valuable in the trash and picked it up, what would it reveal about your personality? Consider these other stories reported in the news:

Sculpture found

The scenario: A 400-pound sculpture was found next to a large trash bin in a park, according to The Sacramento Bee. The owner speculated the sculpture was worth as much as $25,000. It took more than one culprit to haul it from its original location, he said.

Your personality: What kind of person sees a 400-pound sculpture sitting next to the trash and thinks, "Better call a tow truck?" You probably would have been tempted by this sculpture regardless of location.

Plates of gold

The scenario: Four gold plates worth $54,736 were found at a recycling plant in Miyoshi, Japan, according to japanprobe.com. The plates were found among concrete.

Your personality: Well, they are gold plates. Of course you would pick them up. You are a practical person with an eye for the obvious.

Drowned treasure

The scenario: A stash of gold was found off the coast of the United States inside the shipwrecked S.S. Republic, National Geographic reported. The ship sunk during a hurricane in 1865, and so did its cargo of $400,000 in coins - valued at as much as $180 million in 2003.

Your personality: It is not enough for you to find treasure above ground; you are the type of person looking for a challenge. Not to mention the brave type who scoffs at sharks.

A ring returned

The scenario: A homemade ring worth approximately $5,000 was lost by a woman in a ferry terminal in Vancouver, B.C., according to the Victoria Times Colonist. A ferry worker found the ring at the bottom of the final bag they were searching through.

Your personality: You dug through a lot of junk to make one woman's day. You are a true hero.

- Chrystal Doucette is the Columbia Basin Herald's health and education reporter. She might try a little Dumpster diving herself, if it weren't for all those germs.