They were two of the most significant figures of the American revolution, and now a time capsule they buried in 1795 is being reopened.

Paul Revere, famous for his midnight ride warning of the arrival of the redcoats in 1775, and Samuel Adams, who governed Massachusetts and was a supremely influential figure in the revolution, placed a pouch with two dozen silver coins and a silver plate engraved with the date of July 4, 1795, under a cornerstone in the Massachusetts state house, according to the Washington Post.

Authorities moved the contents into a sturdier brass box in 1855 and reburied the box. And yesterday, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts allowed the world to get a peek at those contents.

Museum conservator Pam Hatchfield used a porcupine quill and a dental tool to carefully remove each item from the 10-pound box during a news conference. In addition to the coins and the plate, the box also contained a Massachusetts commonwealth seal, a page from the Massachusetts colony records, a total of five newspaper, and the coins, which included a 1652 “pine tree shilling.” The plate was inscribed and it had fingerprints on it.

Officials believe that Paul Revere personally made and engraved the plate, which museum director Malcolm Rogers called a “treasure,” according to CNN.

The items were first examined and cleaned in 1855. Other items, such as newspapers, were added to the box, which was then cemented beneath a cornerstone made of granite.

It was rediscovered Dec. 11 during maintenance of the building, and Hatchfield spent hours trying to remove the time capsule from the stone. She had the box X-rayed to provide a look inside.

The newspapers — copies of the Boston Daily and Boston Traveller — were left folded, as officials weren’t sure if they could be unfolded without causing damage. They will have experts determine this.