Turning dusty attic treasures into cash can yield millions for some and disappointment for others

By NICK PERRY, Associated Press

THOMASTON, Maine (AP) — Kaja Veilleux has been hunting New England attic treasures for more than 50 years. He once found a copy of the Declaration of Independence sitting on a pile of trash, and he made headlines this year when he stumbled upon a million-dollar portrait gathering dust in an old farmhouse in Maine that may have been painted by the Dutch master Rembrandt.

Then there was the time, Veilleux said, he was shown a $50,000 gold coin kicking around in a tool drawer ...