That's why secret compartments were built into furniture and decorative items. Eighteenth-century desks often had "deed" boxes disguised as small columns on the inside near the drawers.

Hollowing out a book is a classic way to hide things in plain sight, but the space is very limited. If you have larger-than-one-book objects you'd like to secure, check out this multi-book hidden ...

Whatever it is, it’s delightfully ridiculous. The video goes one-by-one through the many secret compartments Thibodeau snuck into the piece, and it’s like an intricate puzzle.

Police routinely have to crack down on criminals utilizing secret compartments in vehicles. In 2006, police in Manhattan found a hidden storage area underneath the central console of a 2006 Nissan.

The company also made other cast-iron objects, including lamps and match holders. The design of some of their pieces suggests the company worked at least into the 1940s.