Containers

Chests and other containers can store nearly unlimited amounts of items. However, most chests in the game reset, that is, they clear out all the contents after a certain period of time. Most chests reset after about a week of game time, however, examining the contents of the chest causes the countdown to start over. A chest could be made to never reset simply by opening it once every 5-6 days or so.

Styles and usual contents

 * Chest – The standard
 * Ayleid Chest, Cask, Coffer, Reliquary – Usually found in ayleid ruin and contain various loot
 * Barrel, Crate, Small Crate – Found everywhere and usually contains generic, unusable items, such as an inkwell, shovel, folded cloth, or paintbrush
 * Coffin – Usually found in caves and fort ruins where undead or vampires roam they contain clothing, armor, gold and jewelry.
 * Counter – Usually contains jewelry or apparatuses
 * Cupboard, Sack – Often contains food or potions. Cupboards in bedrooms usually contain clothing.
 * Desk, Lectern – Occasionally contains books, parchment, or an inkwell
 * Display Case – Not a full container per se, but can hold a few items and doesn't reset. Items are literally dropped into it and the case is closed.
 * Drawers – Usually contains various clothing and sometimes armor
 * Fleshy Pod, The Punished – The containers of Oblivion contain weapons, armor, gems, scrolls, and gold
 * Jewelry Box – Usually contains jewelry, precious gems, or gold
 * Urn – Circular containers, sometimes locked, it is a common misconception that they are found only in the Shivering Isles. They can be found in chapel undercrofts, Ayleid ruins, and other places where the dead reside.

List of non-resetting containers
There are some containers that never reset and can hold an unlimited amount of items. Most unique chests like "Captain Tussaud's Booty" on the pirate ship in the Waterfront District ...
 * All chests and containers inside purchasable houses
 * The armory chest in Cloud Ruler Temple.
 * The drawers in the Aleswell Inn. (After completing the quest Zero Visibility)
 * All of the Dark Brotherhood Member's chests in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary

Notable Chests
Please list any unusual chests or chests containing rare items here.
 * There is an almost unfindable chest just within the north boundary of the map, on the far side of one of the Jerall Mountains (area confirmation needed), resting between two pikes with impaled skulls, which contains approx. 20 gold and a lock pick (contents confirmation needed). The reason for this chest is unclear, as it contains no special items, although its odd placement may mean it is a reference to a quest in a previous game.ALSO there is another chest in the Valus mountain range (about mid-way) that is inbetween 2 pikes (as described above) containing a silver pitcher.
 * Under the Cheydinhal Bridge Inn, if you walk between the three barrels on the first floor, you can find it roughly under the door. Impossible chest to get, if you're a Xbox or Ps3 user, but if you're a PC user you can use the fly command and unlock console cheat to get it.
 * On top of Fort Coldcorn there is a upper level without stairs to it. An accomplished acrobat can reach by jumping from pillar to pillar and reaching the platform. The chest contains a 'Key of Hidden Wealth' and a note, 'The sword leads the way. Half a mile. It's just past the big rock on the right.' The sword points in the northeast direction. The chest contains a Note of Bounty, a dagger (possibly enchanted, depending on level), and maybe a potion.