MEDFORD (CBS) – A Medford woman is suddenly $114,000 richer, thanks to a find by a Saugus junk collector.

Leo Guarente, owner of the Junk Depot in Saugus, was cleaning out the home of the Marie Veloso’s late mother in Saugus when he came across an envelope containing twenty-one U.S. savings bonds from 1972.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Kim Tunnicliffe Reports

The price paid for those savings bonds was $21,000.

Guarente notified the Veloso that he had discovered something in a hope chest, but he didn’t get into detail.

On Saturday, he showed up with the savings bonds.

“I was nervous. I knew I was going to change this woman’s life for the better,” Guarente said. “It warms my heart to know that I helped someone.”

Needless to say, she was stunned.

“We’re shocked – overwhelmed,” Veloso said.

“It’s Christmas come early,” her brother, Joe, added.

Guarente, who says his job yields some pretty exciting finds, is trying to land a show on A&E. It just so happens that they were filming the pilot episode for the show, named “From Trash to Cash,” when he made this find.