Wallets... They're something we hope are always right where we like them -- in our pockets or purses. They can get pretty beat up. But, losing one can be a nightmare. Meet the woman who finally has hers back.... 40 years after she lost it.

"Apparently I went to a lot of ice fishing contests," Katherine Geissler says amused as she pages through her billfold. It brings back some old memories of different Chippewa Valley.

"I was in a little tiny bar in downtown Chippewa Falls," Katherine says.

It was one night in that bar, back in 1968, that Katherine says someone must've stolen her wallet. Four decades later, and $50 lighter, she holds it again.

"I really didn't expect it to be mine and I didn't expect it to be 40 years old," she says smiling.

Kent Andreas was remodeling his Eau Claire basement when he made the discovery.

"I don't think anyone expects to find a treasure," Kent says. "When I pulled it out I didn't know how old it would be."

Not long after that discovery, Kent tracked down Katherine. He says at first she didn't believe him and he seemed more excited about the find.

"I kept pulling the stuff out and I think it took a while for it to sink in that that really did belong to her at one time," he says.

Among the contents of the wallet was a pay stub from Uniroyal, the address to her brother in the service, a recipe for homemade noodles from her mom, her drivers license, and a beer coupon for a 10 cent beer.

"I wish it was open because I would take it in to see if i could get a drink!" Katherine says laughing.

While she admits she doesn't know if she would have taken the time to return a wallet like Kent did, Katherine says she sure is grateful for the memories.

"These documents didn't mean anything to me, but I figured they might mean more to her," Kent says simply.

And he couldn't be more right.

"What does it mean to me? It means I had a more active life then I do now," Katherine says with a big laugh.

Neither Katherine or Kent have any idea how the wallet ended up in his basement. Kent says the house -- and the wallet--- survived a flood, fire and the whole house being moved about a block.