Thrift Shop Finds That Made People Rich
By molly atherton
1 year ago
1. Ansel Adams lost negatives
Image source: Reddit
A painting in 2000, California, went to a garage sale and noticed some prints of Yosemite on glass plates. They were old photo negatives but he recognized them by their style as Ansel Adams's work. He bought them for $45 and asked experts to confirm if they were to which they agreed. They were then deemed to be worth $200 million. He sold some and eventually was sued by Ansel Adams publishing company who denied they were his world.Original content sourced from Femanin.com2. A (very) lucky rock
Image source: Reddit
A man had his rock in his bedroom for 10 years and he had carried it around with him believing it to be his good luck rock. In 2016, he carried it to a tourism office, keeping it with him which wasn't unusual. However, he then realized he'd had no idea just how lucky this rock was. Somebody informed him it was the largest pearl in the world, worth around $100 million and weighing a massive 75 pounds.3. The lost Faberge egg
Image source: Reddit
A scrap metal dealer found an ornate golden egg from somebody selling it at a marker. He paid $14,000 for it realizing it was probably worth more when he melted it down -which he intended on doing. Until he searched in Google and found an article from a few years prior about a lost Faberge egg created for Russian royalty. After getting it assessed by an expert it was indeed the egg and it is worth an estimated $33 million!4. A joke present turned lost Jackson Pollock
Image source: Reddit
In 1992 Teri Horton picked up a random painting for 5 dollars in an attempt to make her friend laugh when she gave the gift. She had no room for it and Horton took it to a garage sale and the artist advised her to get it checked out as she recognized Jackson Pollock's style. It was true, it was found to be a Pollock piece when a forensic identified his fingerprint. She in turn offered $9 million but she refused in order to get more money!5. Billy the Kid's 1 dollar print
Image source: Reddit
A man from California in 2010 was rifling through some boxes at a shop and bought some tiny old photographs for just one dollar each. He recognized the boy and after some research and expert opinions realized that it was indeed the iconic Billy the Kid. It is one of two pictures of Billy the Kid in the world and this small photo alone is worth $5 million!6. A broken teapot
Image source: Reddit
When a charity shop hunter picked up an old and broken teapot in 2018 she merely thought it was an interesting piece of antique porcelain. She was VERY shocked to discover that it was actually one of the first created teapots in America by the famous British pottery maker John Bartlam. Her 20-dollar bargain turned into a hefty profit selling for over $800,000.7. An Elvis Presley bargain
Image source: Reddit
A man names John Richard went to a charity shop in the UK in 2010 and found an interesting bag with Elvis Presley's face on it. He bought it for $30 and followed a hunch that the bag was made by Philip Treacy. He went to get it confirmed and it ended up that the bag was one of only 10 ever created by none other than Andy Warhol. It was worth $450,000!8. A spare piece of parchment or an official copy of the Declaration of Independence?
Image source: Reddit
A thrift shop regular, Michael Sparks, found a copy of the Declaration of Independence which he bought for less than $3 because it looked remarkably realistic. But he researched the paper and found it wasn't just a normal copy. It was one of 200 of the official copies that had been commissioned in 1820 by John Quincy Adams and it was worth $477,650!9. The $13, 26 carat ring
Image source: Reddit
In 2017 a diamond ring that was thought to be fake was sold for 13 dollars at a junkyard sale. The buyer of course, according to the price, thought it was just a piece of costume jewelry. But after wearing it for many years she was finally told that it was actually a 26-carat diamond that has been cut in the 1880s. And so she now had a $455,000 ring on her finger!10. A lost piece of artwork
Image source: Reddit
Robin Darvell paid 46 dollars for a box of random things at an auction. He assumed it was a collection of interesting but worthless things. One of the items inside was a small painting that lay in his draw for 10 years until his son Rob acquired it and took attention to a signature. He followed his inclining and discovered that it was worth $390,00 as it was actually a painting by John Constable.11. Expensive taste in jewellery
Image source: Reddit
A woman from Philadelphia attended a flea market in 2005 and picked up a statement necklace for $15 for herself. Around three years later she was attending an Alexander Calder exhibit and realized her necklace was very similar in style. She then discovered that it really was an original piece of his work and that it was in fact worth around $300,000.12. An Antiques Roadshow discovery
Image source: Reddit
A former antique dealer and 81-year-old from South Carolina picked up a painting for 3 dollars at a store. He spied the frame which he believed to be from the 18th century and thought it was worth seeing if the painting was also so old. His daughter-in-law went onto the Antiques Roadshow with his piece and discovered it was a famous piece by a Flemish artist from the 17th century! And, it was worth $190,00!13. An unusual cup...from the 17th century
Image source: Reddit
An Australian woman picked up a random, red cup from a thrift store that she was attracted to because of its uniqueness, she'd never seen anything like it and thought it would be worth seeing if it was valuable. It turned out that it was a 17th-century liberation cup. It had been created from a rhinoceros horn and she then sold it for around $75,000!14. Wearing Vince Lombardi's jumper
Image source: Reddit
A couple from North Carolina were regular thrifters and they picked up a jumper for the husband to wear. After fixing it up due to a couple of holes he started to wear it. The two of them were sitting down one night watching a documentary about Vince Lombardi when they realized he was wearing their sweater. After finding his name inside, it sold for $43,000!15. The first-ever Superman
Image source: Reddit
In 2010 a woman at a thrift store picked up a copy of a Superman comic. After looking at the comic for some time she realized it was published in 1938 and for a few cents, she had accidentally picked up one of the most expensive and sought-after comic books in existence. It was the first comic that ever featured Superman. In 2014 he sold it for $14 million.16. Vintage Baseball cards
Image source: Reddit
In 2012 a family from the US found a collection of old baseball cards in the attic of their grandparents house. After a closer look, they found the collection had some extremely rare players. The cards turned out to be a super rare collection of vintage cards including Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. Sometime later they were sold for $ 3 million at an auction!17. One of the most expensive vases in the world
Image source: Reddit
In 2016 a man bought a vase from a UK thrift store. The vase merely appealed to him due to his appearance. It was decorated with traditional Chinese patterns and after having it looked at on a whim, it became clear that it was an 18th-century Qianlong-era porcelain vase that was worth a massive $56 million dollars after buying it for less than $10 dollars.18. Old paper turned out to be original sketches
Image source: Reddit
In 2016 a woman bought a box of sketches for $50 dollars at a thrift store in California. She found out that these sketches were unseen original sketches that were done by the famous artist Leroy Neiman. She then went on to sell the box of sketches and fetched $60,000 for it making a hefty profit from an accidental stumbling across some original sketches.19. An original Apple 1 Computer
Image source: Reddit
Usually, we discard our old electronics deeming them useless. However, a woman from California picked up a vintage Apple 1 computer (one of the first Apple computers ever made) and realized just how valuable it really was. She purchased it for $200 dollars along with a bunch of other stuff. then, she sold the rare computer and it reached up to $200,00!20. A Picasso piece
Image source: Reddit
In 2015 in the US a woman picked up a piece of artwork for just $2 dollars because she liked the style and colors used in the painting. She then noticed after closer inspection that the artwork had a signature and delving into some further research she then actually found out it was none other than a Picasso piece which was subsequently valued at $50,000.21. A car boot sale Rolex
Image source: Reddit
In the UK in 2017 a man attended a car boot sale. His eye was caught by a watch which was marked with the word Rolex which he bought for just $10. It actually turned out to be a rare Rolex Oyster Cosmograph model. He, by a happy accident, had purchased himself a $90,000 watch for just 10 dollars. After discovering its worth he went on to sell it instead!22. A bunch of old books worth $175,000
Image source: Reddit
In 2013 a man bought what he thought was just a bunch of old books that he thought would be interesting to have. He paid $5 for the lot and after some looking through his purchases he found the first edition of The Federalist Papers. These were a collection of essays by the well-known Alexander Hamilton James Madison and John Jay. He then sold that boo alone for $175,000.23. An autographed Harry Potter book!
Image source: Reddit
A Harry Potter fan accidentally purchased an original autographed version of Harry Potter in 2001 at a thrift store. It cost her just $1.30. It did not seem to be known that the book was an original signed copy by J.K Rowling and so when the woman discovered it she realized how valuable it was and decided to sell it at an auction where it fetched around $33,000.24. Original action figures
Image source: Reddit
Somebody picked up a bunch of toys and action figures at a thrift shop in Oregon, in 2018. She bought them for just two dollars only to discover later down the line that the toys contained the original Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia action figures! These are two very valued collectibles that are highly sought after and she sold them for over $10,000.25. A rare Nintendo game
Image source: Reddit
In 2019 a man from the US purchased a box of old retro games from a thrift store. He handed over a handful of bucks with no true idea of what was inside or what they were worth. He found out that there was a rare Nintendo World Championships cartridge inside, one of 116 in production making it extremely rare to get hold of. And so he sold it for around $20,000.26. A dusty old whiskey collection
Image source: Reddit
In 2021 a man from Scotland found a truck full of old, very dusty whiskeys at a thrift store. There was a collection all being sold together for $130 which he considered a very worthwhile deal. But on closer inspection and with the help of experts he found that they were vintage, rare whiskies as part of the collection which was estimated to be worth over $65,00 for the lot.27. A single leaf of the Gutenberg Bible
Image source: Reddit
In 2011 somebody purchased an old leather-bound book from a Pennsylvanian thrift store. This person picked it up because they thought it was good quality. But it was more than this, they discovered inside the book an original leaf from the Gutenberg Bible! One of the rarest, most expensive, and most original books ever printed. The single leaf was worth $70,000.28. A real samurai sword
Image source: Reddit
When a man in 2017 bought an old sword from a thrift store he thought it was a costume piece, not a real-life ancient sword. He paid $40 dollars for the interesting piece. But after some research, it became apparent that the sword was an authentic samurai Japanese katana from the 15th century. It was worth around $13,000 when it was sold at an auction.29. An antique map collection
Image source: Reddit
In 2018 a woman picked up a box of old maps from a thrift store in France, They appealed to her because of their historic interest. Yet when she had the maps studied she found that they were extremely rare maps from the 16th and 17th century and included famous works from Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius. The map collection was then valued at $180,000,30. A 600 BCE Egyptian Artefact
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com
image source: reddit.com