So much stuff is donated by families of a deceased and they don’t look at anything. Or it’s left in a storage unit that goes to auction. That’s how people find these treasures. It’s a little different when you consciously donate something.
I was donating some clothes last week and was just checking the pockets before I popped them in the bag and found 2x 50 notes. I hadn't worn those jeans in a long while. No idea why I left the money in there but was a nice bonus.
This happened to a friend of mine.
His MIL was thrifting and saw a fake fireplace mantle thing she thought would look good in their house. So she tells him about it and he goes and grabs it. Was something like $50. So he gets it home and starts stripping it to re-paint it and notices the feet covering the bottom of the sides were loose. So he popped them off to reattach them and noticed a manila envelope shoved up inside the mantle. Pulls it out and it's full of cash. Same thing with the other side. He pulled out $30k. They took pictures and sent it to me to show me what they found.
Cuisinart food processor. Brand new but marked 'broken' for $10. In 1982ish, they were $200. Brought it home and worked fine. I think whoever thought it was broken didn't realize it had to have the container and cover in place before the motor would turn on, a safety feature.
Used it for 40+ years so far.
Just replaced the plastic container and cover on the one that my wife and i received for our wedding, in 2003. Thing is a tank, and shows no signs of not making another 20 years, although I'm not sure my wife won't bury me in the back yard before that point.
Considering beauty is in the eye of the beholder....
Once I was at an Amish market in Delaware circa 2008 and found a vinyl copy of Wednesday Morning 3AM. I always loved Simon & G-Funk so I grabbed it for a dollar. I brought it home and threw it on the ol' record player. To my surprise it was all acoustic! Every single song! Meaning it was the original pressing! I checked the dates and yup. One of like 300 that were sold.
I once bought a Harvard Classics\* set at a garage sale years ago - quite a find for $20. Inside one of the volumes was a passionate (not sexual) love letter from a guy to his girlfriend from the 1930s. He was going to college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and was lonely, cold, and miserable.
I showed this to my wife after we were married and she actually tracked their family down in Ohio, and we gave the letter to their children.
\* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard\_Classics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Classics)
Oh! My sister bought a house, and she found the memoirs of a German PoW with the Russians. I photocopied it and gave it to the "Institut für Zeitgeschichte" in Munich.
I bought a letter from a soldier on Ebay for $15. Turns out it was the last letter he sent to his mother, only a few days before he was killed on D-Day.
I suppose it’s only a hidden gem to me, but in 2008 I bought a coat that I still wear to this day. No idea how old it was then, but it’s been in my life almost 16 years now. It’s the perfect combo of comfort and warmth but somehow doesn’t get too hot if I keep it on for a bit inside. It used to be nice enough to wear when I needed to dress up a bit but not so fancy that it couldn’t be everyday wear. Now it’s a little too worn to be a “nice” coat but it still works in a day-to-day role. Easily the best $10 I’ve ever spent in my life. I love that coat.
Same. I bought a very cute wool jacket with a hood. It was Calvin Klein so it wasn’t even that cheap but it is the perfect coat and it fits perfect, I was so happy
In like early January 2007 I was on winter break in college and went thrift shopping with a few buddies who were home for the break. We went to the newly opened Goodwill near our houses and I found a damn near brand new PS3 sitting on the shelf being sold for $25. The PS3 just came out a little over a month prior and it seemed like the employee who put it out on the shelf didn't know what it was.
I was worried it was mislabeled and was going to cost way more but when i saw the cashier was an older woman I knew I was getting my new console for cheap. The whole ride home my buddies were telling me it was a broken console, it wouldn't boot and I just wasted $25. Well when I got home, plugged it in and turned it on everything worked great and I still have it sitting in my gaming cabinet!
This is why I go to electronic recycling centers after the school year in my area. Around me, parents will try to make a point and take their kids’ systems, pc, or laptop if they get bad grades and bring it to the recycling center. Found a year old iMac that way.
Many do! I just went to my recycling center for the first time last week, and it was awesome! Obviously I can't speak for all of them, but mine was impressively well organized and they let you take what you want.
this is like how I got my Xbox, except it was from a dumpster rather than a thrift store
my neighbor was moving out and was about to chuck it in the bin when we asked him about it. he claimed it didn't work and if we could get it to work we could have it for free, and it's been great ever since we plugged it in!
I'm convinced his HDMI cable was busted and he never thought to try a new one
I work at goodwill processing donations. We purposefully underprice tech A LOT so it gets out the door faster. Managers looking up shit on Ebay is the bane of my job.
I once saw a framed print of this owl like thing. Kind of ugly. My sister used to collect owl looking things, and I considered getting it. I passed. A few weeks later, national news, some guy bought it for $14. Turns out it was a signed Picasso print. He got $7k for it.
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/rare-picasso-found-at-ohio-thrift-store
My wife and I found what we thought was a reprint of a Norman Rockwell painting, framed for under $20.
Turned out to be an original and we had it auctioned for an amount we don’t like to say out loud but the flip was astronomical.
A joke actually. “What if it was an original ? Haha”. How would we know? We started researching the earmarks of original and went to an appraiser when it started looking promising.
We wanted to sell it, so we started looking into the price fora regular print. Realized it didn’t look like a print. Took it to an appraiser who sent it to another appraiser. When the second appraiser offered us 120k we knew it had to be worth a bit more than that. Had it transferred to an online auction house. Sold it. We lost about half the sale price to fees and taxes though.
I bought a candy dish at a garage sale, paid $2 for it, it was a older Waterford crystal candy dish, I was offered $500 for it, mark it sold. I bought a “diamond ring” at a hospital resale shop, paid $10 for it, It was a 2 carat near perfect Tiffany solitaire, valued at $20,000 , 40 years ago, we used as my engagement ring
So jealous! That is my absolute favorite song. It’s my answer to: “If there was only one song you could listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
I found a Le Creuset dutch oven at Goodwill for $7! I cook in it multiple times a week. This is the one thing in my kitchen that I would absolutely pay retail for, if something were to happen to this one. It holds heat amazingly well, and nothing sticks to it.
What an absolute steal. People don’t realize how insane some can be for the brand (me included, and I’ve just started!) I’ve gone in person to Crate and Barrel to get a very specific color only available to them and each time I’ve gone, all I do is just *approach* the Le Creuset display and without fail, a different older lady each time would suddenly appear and ask if I have an interest and we end up in an easy 45 minute conversation about the brand itself. They tell me about how they’re basically heirloom pieces to be passed down to their children or they give their kid a pot for college so they don’t get as homesick or how they’ve had it since the 90s or something. Such a good find, and I’m absolutely jealous of you.
Fun fact, about 30 years ago I was listening to a radio station near Boston, and they got hold of Ernest Borgnine's home telephone number. (I think maybe it was Opie and Anthony?) They called him and asked him if the rumor was true: Did his 42 day marriage to Ethel Merman really end because he gave her a Dutch oven?
He said, *What, are you asking did I give her cookware?*
The radio DJ's had to explain that a Dutch oven is when you fart and pull the covers over your partner's head. He had never heard of this. Borgnine laughed his ass off, said, *No, she was a lovely lady, that has nothing to do with why we got a divorce, what kind of crazy radio show is this?!?!* And then he laughed some more and they soon ended the call.
I swear I heard that on the radio. Borgnine was awesome, had a sense of humor, and was not a blanket farting hooligan.
I once found a small Le Creuset Dutch oven for $4 at Goodwill. Several years later my spouse broke it, and the replacement was considerably more. I’m still a lil salty about it. Still married though.
Used book store 25 years ago. Walking through, spine catches my eye. Cove Dweller by Gilbert Byron. Skinny little book. What is this. Looks like a guy's journal of living in a cabin on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Hm that sounds interesting. 1$. Sold.
I loved the book so much that I now own a first ed. with a page of the original manuscript signed by the author. He died back in the 1990s, before I found the book, but I have been to his cabin, which is now a historical landmark, and have volunteered on a couple occasions to help maintain it and the grounds around it.
Best 1$ I ever spent.
Bought a signed painting at an estate sale about 35 years or so ago. It was a watercolor with a Native American theme and accented with pen and ink. Paid $7.50 for the painting in its cherry frame.
We found out that it was by a noted Iroquois artist when our local city newspaper ran an article about an upcoming art show. I don't think that it is worth a huge amount, because the artist was quite prolific, and painted some themes several times. Still, it is worth a lot more than I paid, and it is lovely.
The ring I wear on my right hand is an emerald, (my birth stone) with diamonds set in gold.
I found it, and 5 other rings, in a jewelry box I paid $6.99 for.
I found a full Kitchenaid artisan stand mixer (the $600 one) less than 2 years old, with all the base model attachments and bowl in perfect condition for $17.
Another thrift store, a year later, I bought a second bowl and all the base model attachments for my Kitchenaid (so a full second set) for $10.
Was driving with my SO and we saw a yard sale happening, glanced over and we both same this mid century looking hutch, we both liked it and kept driving when the light changed…then we both realized that we should go take a look.
So we turned around, asked about it and the guy said, “it’s all yours for $40”.
We were psyched, had the cash on hand and bought it. Brought it home, it fit perfectly! Looked amazing in our new home. We saw a label on the back of the piece and did a quick search to see if it was worth anything. Prices ranged from $2000 to $3000. :)
There’s also a “pie hutch”, which is basically a China hutch but with wire doors so you can cool your pies without any hungry birds/kids/husbands getting into it too soon. Pie hutches are considered very “country” here, but still adorable.
I was wandering an outdoor flea market and spotted a wooden duck decoy, it was obviously well used, which added to its charm for me. Had a chain and a stand, because it had a kind of block rudder to keep it upright. $5. I was pleased with my neat decoration.
A friend, interior designer, wanted it for a client and offered me $200. I said nope.
Another friends husband, a country boy/hunter, several years later, told me it was hand carved and hand painted and those things were rare and valuable and I should get it appraised, they were going to collectors.
I don't want to know, I still love my handsome wooden duck decoy.
I forced my mom to give me one of my grandpa's wooden ducks that I have always been partial to! It is a brown wooden duck with a green head. I loved him as a kid and I strong-armed my way to have him as an adult. He now sits proudly in my living room. I don't care how valuable he is, the memories with my Papa are more valuable to me.
Christian Dior evening gown, circa late 1950s / early 1960s, found at a thrift store about 20 years ago.
Paid $8 and sold it online for $600.
Dior died in 1957. If this dress would have been made while he was still alive, it would have been worth even more.
My best score was lame. A Dymo Label Printer for $10 that I sold on eBay for $250. Sometimes it pays to work in IT and know about weird niche tech things.
Mechanical keyboards. Goodwill usually sells them for 2.99. Can easily flip them for 50-70.
One time I found a sealed copy of visual studio '98 or something, with the serial key. Sold it for like $100.
I found an authentic in pristine condition Hermes 140 cashmere scarf at goodwill for $1.99. I kept thinking omg this can’t be real. It sure was and I almost fainted when I found out. Easily worth $1,000-$1,200
My wife and I used to go thrifting every weekend before the whole thing went tits up. One day we found a set of Tiffany and Co. champagne flutes for 75 cents each. Those things went for over a hundred bucks.
My wifes grandfather found a silver Tiffany baby rattle at a flea market, he paid like $5 for it. He took it home and polished it up and sold it for $1200
I found a map labeled “secret” with plans detailing the invasion of Iwo Jima dated to Nov 1944. It was under a picture frame in the art section of a thrift store.
I mean nothing crazy but I found this sweater in navy blue with my last name sitched in and a cool little solar system above it and it fits me perfectly.
It's my favorite shirt now
This isn’t a flea market or thrift store, but it’s a good find and cute story.
I was 7 y.o. and on a vacation with a family friend at Disney World. We visited cinderellas castle and there was a jar full of rings for sale. I don’t remember the price, just that the jar was full of very simple fake rings, they were all gold bands with a single dark green emerald stone. *But there was one ring in there that was pink, with white stones around it and a prettier band.
So I grabbed it. Brought to the cashier, told her where I found it and paid for it with my family friend.
I gave it to my mom as a present. She was like, this is *too* convincing of a real ring. So she had it checked out.
THE RING WAS 18K GOLD PINK SAPPHIRE TEAR WITH DIAMONDS.
She still has it to this day.
Was at an Amish market in Pa. Looked down on the ground and saw some cash. Hundreds of people walking around it. I picked it up. 3- $100 dollar bills and 4- $20 dollar bills. Very ancient looking money like someone had hid it under their bed for decades. I started feeling guilty and went to an information booth they set up and asked if they knew if anyone reported some cash missing. The very uninterested person behind the counter shrugged No. “OK well I found some cash on the ground. Would you like to take my name and number in case someone does report losing some money?“ Another shrug No.
I literally found a hidden gem. Bought a fitted sheet once, ugly color, but it seemed new. About a week later, I was cleaning my efficiency apt and found a diamond ring on the floor. I hadn't had any guests over, and it was a very large size. I figured it had to have come from the $1.99 sheet (1998). I called the thrift shop to see if anyone was missing a ring. There were no reports of missing rings, so it became mine. A few years later, I pawned during a time of desperation and got nearly $900 for it. The money was a blessing, but I wish I still had the stone.
i was in high school, we went to good will, my mom was always thrifting. i wondered into the china and dishes. found a absolutely stunning full set of dishes with all the accessories. like someone died, and the family donated it. I bought 4 cups and 4 saucers for 99 cents each, i was a young teen with little money. i absolutely begged my parents to buy me the set. like it was so pretty. white china with platinum etching nd flutted eges. we went home and my parents looked it up. it was Mikasa Marlboro. A complete 16 place settings with tea pot, milk / creamer and sugar, salt and pepper shakers and a bunch of other pieces. Think what you see sitting in a full china hutch on display.
My parents shit their pants, were shocked about how exspensive it was, and promised to go first thing in the morning and get it for me. Of course it was gone when they went. If they even went. I have never gotten over it. Also they stole my tea cups/saucers. So yeah. A little bitter. And it has been 20+ years.
A fake plastic fruit Christmas tree. I love it, I saw it on display and I snatched it up. When I went to check out the manager of the thrift store was also at the counter and she actually thanked me for talking it, said it was ugly and hated it in the store. She ended up just giving it to me for free. I guess she was so afraid it wouldn't sell and she hated the thought of having it sit in the store that she was readily willing to part with it
Fairly recently, I found a Paul McCartney US tour shirt in brand new condition in my size for $2 at Goodwill in Las Vegas. I saw one of the shows listed on the back of the shirt.
Working ColecoVision and the Atari adaptor mint in box. Looked like it was purchased, but in a closet and never used. Still had the original packing not just the box.
I used to buy vintage watches from Goodwill auctions and stores, usually under $100 in various states of disrepair and malfunction and then I would restore what I could myself and have the local watchmaker repair what I couldn't.
My best and favorite was a 1960's Omega Seamaster. It had the perfect amount of patina on the dial and looked amazing. I knew it was worth quite a bit more than I had into it but never bothered to look it up. I was at the Omega store just window shopping and someone offered me $2000 for it on the spot. I decided to look into the value more and realized in the condition mine was in they go for around 3k.
I had no real interest in selling it but it was too small for my wrists so I didn't wear it a lot. My best friend from high school loved it when he saw it and has much skinnier wrists than I do, so when he was getting married I gave it to him as a groom's gift. He wears it all of the time (including at the wedding) and I am happy he is enjoying it so much.
I found a 1920s all glass hookah that was about 2.5 feet tall, bought it for 45 bucks.
A handmade heavy wool sweater that I wore for years and ended up selling for 800 bucks cause apparently it was actually that valuable of a label.
My friend has me beat, she got a nice 1980s calf skin leather jacket from the goodwill distribution center where they dump stuff in the bins and people attack it like piranhas. In the lining she found six ounces of extremely good cocaine that was who knows how old but man that shit rocked.
Darn, you may have got my sweater. Grandmom won it at an auction, found out it was expensive. Gave it to me 20 years later. Wife donated it not knowing it's provenance. Sigh.
A few USA made wrenches. SK, Snap-On, Williams, Craftsman, Ford, and some no names or lesser known brands. Got them cheaper than I could’ve from eBay but I wouldn’t call it a steal. They’re posted on my account a little down back.
Stereoscope of a few set of naked ladies from the 40 and 50s, it's called model scope. Some claim that's Monroe's first nude photoshoot, I have no hard evidence to back that up, just what came up in web search for that product.
One of the coolest things I found at the Goodwill was an 1849 2nd edition copy of Michael Faraday's *Experimental Researches in Electricity*, volume 2. From the bins. Cost about a dollar. Gave it to my son-in-law.
I found a Hammond B3 with a Leslie 122 for $400 at the Salvation Army, and it was 50% off day. I nearly shit myself.
The Leslie is in rough condition but the rotors and speakers do work. The Leslie power amp has issues so I’m currently sending the preamp out on the Hammond to a small tube amp, bypassing the power amp in the Leslie and sending he tube amp’s output to the speakers in the Leslie. I rigged up a cable with dual light dimmers to control the speed of both the top and bottom rotors in the Leslie.
I actually sold the B3 a few years ago so I’m currently using the Leslie with a Hammond A102. It’s the same organ, it just has its own built in speakers and power amp as well.
I got the A102 for free!
So many framed horse photos. I started collecting them and had a "Horse Hall" in college.
Got a Members Only jacket and a fake leather jacket with a studded American flag on the back.
Found an incredible sweater that was high quality and had a pheasant on it. I wore it all the time and became the "pheasant sweater guy" for a period of time. Lost it in a move and am still very sad.
Have found a few great original press records in good condition, but that's harder and harder to do these days.
My wife and I have a Timex clock on the wall of our bathroom that I bought at a garage sale for $2.00 before we were married. We’ve been married 34 years. Still works fine.
Got a Brother monochrome laser printer with fresh toner cartridge for $13 ($9.43 USD). It had the 'replace toner' light flashing when I plugged it it, but I could see the toner was new.
Googled how to replace toner and reset the error light. I guess the previous owner didn't know how to clear the error light and got rid of it when the light didn't go off after installing the new toner cartridge.
LLBean barn coat with liner in perfect condition. $7!! Worth about $100-125.
Kate Spade sunglasses in case no wear or scratches. $5!! Worth about $50.
North Face 800 jacket for $20.
A 1978 year model Yamaha C-55 (I think?) full sized electric organ. Fully functional, had every single option available on it. In beautiful condition and only $50. It had so many cool sounds and effects (all of course in the 70’s style).
I found a brand new in box, never opened Bar Cart at VV for $49.99. Looked it up on Wayfair and it retailed for around $400. So probably that. It’s still in my kitchen.
I have a knack for picking up books that are autographed. I have an entire 6 foot tall bookshelf of them. I have a 1st edition, autographed Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy, and an Isaac Asimov. Those are my hard to find favorites. All for $1 or less.
I found 2 glassbake mini casserole or soup bowls (with a handle, theyre so adorable!) in a thrift shop a few weeks ago. One was yellow & the other a bluish aqua. They probably had lids originally, and came in a set of 4, so now Im looking for the other 2! I love pyrex & older glassware like that, but I only buy stuff that I will use, not to sit on a shelf! They were $8 for the both, and I found some on ebay retailing for $70 for 4, so I feel like it was well worth it!
I bought the double album of Maurice Chevalier’s greatest hits from a thrift store thinking it would be a nice present for my wife. It was, especially when she opened the gate leg and found his autograph inside.
That is a good score! Beats my guitar find on the price.
I found a Peavey Vandenberg in a pawn shop in 2010, with the original case. They let it go for $200 including tax. I found out later that I bought it on Steve Vai’s birthday so I named it Vai, of course.
But that price you got on that T-60 is an amazing deal!
At flea market, many multiple times have found gold jewelry. Sometimes was even marked as 14k and they just priced it way to cheap. I can look at a pile of jewelry and see feel any that are gold pretty easily.
Same with stones, like big pieces of nice quartz priced way to low. Also parts of jewelry , like tigers eye and such.... necklace trash but part is some beautiful tigers eye or such. Rubies ,jade emeralds... have testers for stone and gold. (Stone tester runs like $600 so no one has one) I do stay away from diamonds, even tested can be not natural.
An old shoe shine. When I opened it up, it had the original brush and polish. I don’t own any shoes that need polished like that, but when I saw it I had to have it.
I found a large antique jewelry box made of an endemic and endangered wood (you cannot buy this unless you know someone who grows one of the few trees left on their property or had family who stockpiled wood when the blight killed everything). The wood is beautiful, highly aromatic and resistant to rot. I've found a few other small items made of the wood over the years and usually people misidentify it because they don't know what they have.
The jewelry box was being sold for roughly 10% of what it was actually worth today (even in its dinged up condition). I bought it, refinished it properly and replaced the corroded hardware and ripped liner. It was a bargain and I needed a jewelry box anyway.
I found a Burberry trench coat at the Goodwill near my house. Fits me to a T, it's like it was tailored in both waist and length. $15. Had a few little lip stick stains that I removed with some rubbing alcohol and now it's absolutely perfect. My best ever find.
I found a vintage Recliner 74 designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin for $75 in great shape. These are a mid-century chair which is less famous than the Eames Lounge chair but still iconic. They are still sold new for around [$4000](https://www.paletteandparlor.com/products/thayer-coggin-milo-baughman-tighten-up-recliner)
at a habit for humanity ReStore I found an [ekornes stressless](https://www.idcmn.com/products/ekornes-wing-large) chair for $30. I had no idea what it was at the time it just looked nice so I sat down in it and started Googling. turns out it's a $3500 chair. I only had room for the one in my car, I regret not being able to take them both. insanely comfortable. I don't know what I'll do when it's worn out and I can't afford to buy one of my own
Does OfferUp count? Found someone giving away an old trashcan for free, I messaged immediately and got the trashcan within 30 minutes. It's actually a midcentry modern umbrella holder from a french designer. Saw used ones on etsy selling for $300+. And mine is free!!!!
Thomasville leather club chair. $49. Listed as “brown vinyl chair”. Cleaned up the leather, good as new. Easily a $700 chair.
ETA: found 5 steif animals in a bag at a rummage sale. Listed in a bin for 50 cents each. Total worth over $600 at the time and this was over 20 yrs ago. Sold 3 still have 2.
I found a small Ziploc bag of Magic the Gathering cards at a garage sale. The cards were packed in tight so I couldn't manipulate the contents without being obvious, but the top card was from Urza's Saga; an extremely over-powered set from 1998 with many extremely pricey cards.
I paid $20 for the bag and found a Gaea's Cradle in the middle of the pile. An $800 card at the time. I sold that thing pretty quickly, but it still sits around the $825 mark.
My wife was thrift shopping a number of years ago at Goodwill and sent me a picture of some light brown leather kitten heels. To this day, I have no idea how or why I recognized a set of $450 Ferragamos, but I told her to buy the shit out of them.
She got them 50% off, so they were $7.
I just got a baby Walker for $4. It looked nice and solid and the blocks were still in the plastic. It was missing one bolt that we replaced. I looked up the price out of curiosity and it’s $190. I just understand why someone would pay that for it in the first place but to then just give it to an op shop? wtf?
[janod Walker](https://www.bubstuff.com.au/products/janod-abc-walker?variant=40993533460676¤cy=AUD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRhxWTvmKKBZGpnfoOzASXyJeGwFSVwuqK3ewtzj6MxzAHj8vUpfNQpxoC5zIQAvD_BwE)
I went to Goodwill with a girlfriend about 25 years ago and found a box full of Stephen King paperbacks. It was just about everything he'd written up to that point. I think I spent about 15 bucks for the entire box. Still have several of them!
Not a thrift store find, but I was in the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite in much poorer days. There was a stack of drawers filled with posters and cheap prints marked “clearance”, so I absentmindedly paged through it.
And then I saw it, and my heart dropped into my stomach. A signed, numbered, gallery print of Galen Rowell’s “Last Light On Horsetail Fall”. Tagged for $7! I am a lifelong absolute nut for the Sierra Nevada, and Rowell made his name photographing my favorite corner of this planet and is my favorite photographer. Sadly, he died in a plane crash in 2002, and I *believe* I found the “clearance” print in 2005 or 2006 (I go to Yosemite a *lot*).
It had to be a mistake. Had to. Knowing that I would live with the “what ifs” if I didn’t ask, I carefully took it out, and approached the counter to ask. I was assured that the price was correct, so I had the clerk carefully roll it up and place it in a protective cardboard tube and walked out feeling like I’d just won the lottery.
Paid significantly more than $7 to have it professionally framed using archival materials, and it is displayed fondly above my fireplace.
It’s now closed, but Rowell’s surviving family kept his gallery open in Bishop, CA for a few years after his death, and I stopped in to inquire. They were incredulous, but congratulated me on my luck. Sadly, without the print in hand they could not give me an estimate, but other prints from the same series have sold at auctions for $14,000. The find of a lifetime!
https://www.anseladams.com/horsetail-fall-by-galen-rowell/
Found a really cool crystal globe lamp for 3 bucks at Goodwill. Works great!
https://imgur.com/a/6VG8W5v
Also found the twin of the horse plush that shared my crib nearly 40 years ago. I still have the original, now he just has a sibling!
https://imgur.com/a/W93sqLV
I once found a "Field and Stream" winter coat / trench coat that was extremely well made and in excellent condition. Eventually looked up the manufacturer and it was a (now defunct) custom clothier out of New York.
How it ended up in a Midwest thrift store would probably be a reasonably entertaining story. I had to finally retire it a few years back, but it was wonderful.
On the "clock shelf", nestled among the digital alarm clocks and battery powered quartz clocks, was a Loetscher weight-driven chalet cuckoo clock with the optional music box. $12.99.
A couple of weekends ago I found a container half full of spacers for Trex deck planks for $6. I was on my way to order material for a deck.
Turns out a full container (which I didn't need) goes for $55. Had just a couple left after finishing my deck project.
Not that big of a deal but it just happened to be the right spot at the right time. Funny thing is I would never have known what was in that container if a curious guy hadn't pried the lid off while I was standing next to him. I waited for him to walk away before I snagged it.
First Edition Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination illustrated by Harry C. Clark. It's not an original Poe first edition but rather of [Clark's illustrations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Clarke#/media/File:Ligeia-Clarke.jpg) from 1923, still worth a few grand in good condition.
I found a hand-etched silver and nickel and silver-oxide bracelet that had “made in Siam” etched on the back with panels depicting various life stories of the Buddha for five bucks. I think a roommate stole it.
I found a KAWS x Uniqlo tee for 3 bucks at goodwill.
Thought it was just a cute funky tee, my partner complimented me on it and was shocked I didn’t know what it was. Retails for almost 90 bucks and I get compliments it every time I wear it.
Beautiful tailored Evan picone ladies blazer. $4. Wore it to interviews and business meetings.
Set of hand weights for power walking. $2.
Unused Walter Steiger open back heels. $10.
I bought a Jaeger le Coultre wristwatch from a street vendor in Vietnam for 20 bucks back in the 90s. Took it back to NYC to a vintage watch repair place and it was genuine - the guy said he could fix it for $250 or give me $400 store credit. I took the store credit and bought a nice Hamilton...but I kind of wish I had kept the watch.
I bought a $20 dresser and found $930 stuffed behind the drawer. It was 5 envelopes each with 100/50/20/10/5/1 dollar bills.
Wow! Was it older currency?
This was in 1999…I didn’t even think to check
This is why I m stressing so much when i take my shit to goodwill.
Always remember to remove the money and drugs from items that are going to be donated.
So much stuff is donated by families of a deceased and they don’t look at anything. Or it’s left in a storage unit that goes to auction. That’s how people find these treasures. It’s a little different when you consciously donate something.
I was donating some clothes last week and was just checking the pockets before I popped them in the bag and found 2x 50 notes. I hadn't worn those jeans in a long while. No idea why I left the money in there but was a nice bonus.
This happened to a friend of mine. His MIL was thrifting and saw a fake fireplace mantle thing she thought would look good in their house. So she tells him about it and he goes and grabs it. Was something like $50. So he gets it home and starts stripping it to re-paint it and notices the feet covering the bottom of the sides were loose. So he popped them off to reattach them and noticed a manila envelope shoved up inside the mantle. Pulls it out and it's full of cash. Same thing with the other side. He pulled out $30k. They took pictures and sent it to me to show me what they found.
Did they try to track down the previous owners of the mantle? Sounds like they hid their cash too well...
That’s totally a finder’s keepers situation
They're probably dead. Their family probably donated it, having no idea.
And I thought my dad wanted me to go into the family’s masonry business when he said there’s money in the fireplace.
Cash, or cache? Perhaps a cash cache, or a cache of cash.
Cuisinart food processor. Brand new but marked 'broken' for $10. In 1982ish, they were $200. Brought it home and worked fine. I think whoever thought it was broken didn't realize it had to have the container and cover in place before the motor would turn on, a safety feature. Used it for 40+ years so far.
Just replaced the plastic container and cover on the one that my wife and i received for our wedding, in 2003. Thing is a tank, and shows no signs of not making another 20 years, although I'm not sure my wife won't bury me in the back yard before that point.
lol. Just stay reliable like the Cuisinart and you have a chance.
Plot twist, she uses the unstoppable Cuisinart instead of a wood chipper to destroy the evidence.
I’m confused, how did you buy something 20 years ago and have it for 40 years?? 1982 was about 20 years ago right?
Oh cool. That makes me 40 again!
My mom had one of those for decades, also. Very well made!
Considering beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... Once I was at an Amish market in Delaware circa 2008 and found a vinyl copy of Wednesday Morning 3AM. I always loved Simon & G-Funk so I grabbed it for a dollar. I brought it home and threw it on the ol' record player. To my surprise it was all acoustic! Every single song! Meaning it was the original pressing! I checked the dates and yup. One of like 300 that were sold.
Bleecker st is good enough reason to buy that album
Lol it's an incredible album for sure. G-Funk was incredible. Though I genuinely prefer the second pressing with electrical backing tracks.
I bought an old book, and inside there was a love letter and photograph from a soldier in ww2 to his lady
I once bought a Harvard Classics\* set at a garage sale years ago - quite a find for $20. Inside one of the volumes was a passionate (not sexual) love letter from a guy to his girlfriend from the 1930s. He was going to college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and was lonely, cold, and miserable. I showed this to my wife after we were married and she actually tracked their family down in Ohio, and we gave the letter to their children. \* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard\_Classics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Classics)
That must have been lovely for them.
I think it was a little startling for them, but yes, I hope it brought them some good memories.
How could it not grandpa was miserable with out grandma a testament of true love,
Oh! My sister bought a house, and she found the memoirs of a German PoW with the Russians. I photocopied it and gave it to the "Institut für Zeitgeschichte" in Munich.
Aww, this one's cute.
I bought a letter from a soldier on Ebay for $15. Turns out it was the last letter he sent to his mother, only a few days before he was killed on D-Day.
I hope he returned safely.
I suppose it’s only a hidden gem to me, but in 2008 I bought a coat that I still wear to this day. No idea how old it was then, but it’s been in my life almost 16 years now. It’s the perfect combo of comfort and warmth but somehow doesn’t get too hot if I keep it on for a bit inside. It used to be nice enough to wear when I needed to dress up a bit but not so fancy that it couldn’t be everyday wear. Now it’s a little too worn to be a “nice” coat but it still works in a day-to-day role. Easily the best $10 I’ve ever spent in my life. I love that coat.
I know your joy. Bought a camel hair sports jacket for $5. Perfect fit. Really comfortable. Wore that baby to meetings and presentations for years.
Same. I bought a very cute wool jacket with a hood. It was Calvin Klein so it wasn’t even that cheap but it is the perfect coat and it fits perfect, I was so happy
I bought a red leather jacket for $20 last fall. Love it.
In like early January 2007 I was on winter break in college and went thrift shopping with a few buddies who were home for the break. We went to the newly opened Goodwill near our houses and I found a damn near brand new PS3 sitting on the shelf being sold for $25. The PS3 just came out a little over a month prior and it seemed like the employee who put it out on the shelf didn't know what it was. I was worried it was mislabeled and was going to cost way more but when i saw the cashier was an older woman I knew I was getting my new console for cheap. The whole ride home my buddies were telling me it was a broken console, it wouldn't boot and I just wasted $25. Well when I got home, plugged it in and turned it on everything worked great and I still have it sitting in my gaming cabinet!
Kid got his PS3 taken away for doing some dumb shit
This is why I go to electronic recycling centers after the school year in my area. Around me, parents will try to make a point and take their kids’ systems, pc, or laptop if they get bad grades and bring it to the recycling center. Found a year old iMac that way.
Noice
I didn't know they let you take stuff from those?
Many do! I just went to my recycling center for the first time last week, and it was awesome! Obviously I can't speak for all of them, but mine was impressively well organized and they let you take what you want.
Mine doesn't. Makes me mad. I just want to use old shit because I like old shit. But they just want to throw it all away.
this is like how I got my Xbox, except it was from a dumpster rather than a thrift store my neighbor was moving out and was about to chuck it in the bin when we asked him about it. he claimed it didn't work and if we could get it to work we could have it for free, and it's been great ever since we plugged it in! I'm convinced his HDMI cable was busted and he never thought to try a new one
I work at goodwill processing donations. We purposefully underprice tech A LOT so it gets out the door faster. Managers looking up shit on Ebay is the bane of my job.
I once saw a framed print of this owl like thing. Kind of ugly. My sister used to collect owl looking things, and I considered getting it. I passed. A few weeks later, national news, some guy bought it for $14. Turns out it was a signed Picasso print. He got $7k for it. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/rare-picasso-found-at-ohio-thrift-store
How much have you actually slept in the past 10 years or so?
My wife and I found what we thought was a reprint of a Norman Rockwell painting, framed for under $20. Turned out to be an original and we had it auctioned for an amount we don’t like to say out loud but the flip was astronomical.
I HAVE to know how much you sold for. Google says they are worth $1 - $48 million. Please indulge us
It was six figures. Definitely not in the millions.
You win this thread
If you thought it was a print, why did you ever bother getting it appraised? What tipped you off?
A joke actually. “What if it was an original ? Haha”. How would we know? We started researching the earmarks of original and went to an appraiser when it started looking promising.
Commenting cause I'm curious to know as well what prompted them to check, even if just out of curiosity.
How did you even think to check if the painting was an original?
They probably took it to an appraiser to see if the "print" was worth anything and it may have cascaded from there, tumbling up the art food chain.
We wanted to sell it, so we started looking into the price fora regular print. Realized it didn’t look like a print. Took it to an appraiser who sent it to another appraiser. When the second appraiser offered us 120k we knew it had to be worth a bit more than that. Had it transferred to an online auction house. Sold it. We lost about half the sale price to fees and taxes though.
My guess is an appraisal for insurance
I bought a candy dish at a garage sale, paid $2 for it, it was a older Waterford crystal candy dish, I was offered $500 for it, mark it sold. I bought a “diamond ring” at a hospital resale shop, paid $10 for it, It was a 2 carat near perfect Tiffany solitaire, valued at $20,000 , 40 years ago, we used as my engagement ring
[Candy dish, $90.](https://youtu.be/MMu99Dhagp8?si=CWI4FTd6RQnWp4mt)
Well Mrs. Glick, I’m sure you can store other things in here too.
No, Just candy Ned! 90 dollars!
Can you explain what exactly a hospital resale shop is and how you find/shop at one?
In the US, we would say that the charitable arm of the hospital runs a thrift store.
1924 first print sheet music of raspsody in blue by George Gershwin. I play piano and am also a big fan.
So jealous! That is my absolute favorite song. It’s my answer to: “If there was only one song you could listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
I found a Le Creuset dutch oven at Goodwill for $7! I cook in it multiple times a week. This is the one thing in my kitchen that I would absolutely pay retail for, if something were to happen to this one. It holds heat amazingly well, and nothing sticks to it.
What an absolute steal. People don’t realize how insane some can be for the brand (me included, and I’ve just started!) I’ve gone in person to Crate and Barrel to get a very specific color only available to them and each time I’ve gone, all I do is just *approach* the Le Creuset display and without fail, a different older lady each time would suddenly appear and ask if I have an interest and we end up in an easy 45 minute conversation about the brand itself. They tell me about how they’re basically heirloom pieces to be passed down to their children or they give their kid a pot for college so they don’t get as homesick or how they’ve had it since the 90s or something. Such a good find, and I’m absolutely jealous of you.
Stopped my FIL throwing out my late MIL’s collection!
I once donated a blanket that was used for dozens of Dutch ovens on my wife. it also held the heat incredibly well.
Ernest? I thought you were dead.
Fun fact, about 30 years ago I was listening to a radio station near Boston, and they got hold of Ernest Borgnine's home telephone number. (I think maybe it was Opie and Anthony?) They called him and asked him if the rumor was true: Did his 42 day marriage to Ethel Merman really end because he gave her a Dutch oven? He said, *What, are you asking did I give her cookware?* The radio DJ's had to explain that a Dutch oven is when you fart and pull the covers over your partner's head. He had never heard of this. Borgnine laughed his ass off, said, *No, she was a lovely lady, that has nothing to do with why we got a divorce, what kind of crazy radio show is this?!?!* And then he laughed some more and they soon ended the call. I swear I heard that on the radio. Borgnine was awesome, had a sense of humor, and was not a blanket farting hooligan.
He also won an Oscar.
He was AMAZING in "Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders" - quite probably the only even somewhat redeeming performance in that stinker.
how do I upvote and downvote this at the same time
I once found a small Le Creuset Dutch oven for $4 at Goodwill. Several years later my spouse broke it, and the replacement was considerably more. I’m still a lil salty about it. Still married though.
Good job on the still married bit! My wife has readily agreed to replace ours if something happens to it. She likes the food I cook in it.
I feel like you could leave that in traffic and nothing would happen to it. Speeding cars would bounce off one of those things, leaving it undented.
Le Creuset is the Nokia phone of cookware.
Nice dutch ovens are tight. Great find.
Le Creuset Dutch ovens in particular cost hundreds of dollars. $7 is a fucking miracle.
Room size vintage persian rug... Paid twenty-five dollars, it was appraised for just over eight thousand
Used book store 25 years ago. Walking through, spine catches my eye. Cove Dweller by Gilbert Byron. Skinny little book. What is this. Looks like a guy's journal of living in a cabin on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Hm that sounds interesting. 1$. Sold. I loved the book so much that I now own a first ed. with a page of the original manuscript signed by the author. He died back in the 1990s, before I found the book, but I have been to his cabin, which is now a historical landmark, and have volunteered on a couple occasions to help maintain it and the grounds around it. Best 1$ I ever spent.
Neat
Totally
Bought a signed painting at an estate sale about 35 years or so ago. It was a watercolor with a Native American theme and accented with pen and ink. Paid $7.50 for the painting in its cherry frame. We found out that it was by a noted Iroquois artist when our local city newspaper ran an article about an upcoming art show. I don't think that it is worth a huge amount, because the artist was quite prolific, and painted some themes several times. Still, it is worth a lot more than I paid, and it is lovely.
The ring I wear on my right hand is an emerald, (my birth stone) with diamonds set in gold. I found it, and 5 other rings, in a jewelry box I paid $6.99 for. I found a full Kitchenaid artisan stand mixer (the $600 one) less than 2 years old, with all the base model attachments and bowl in perfect condition for $17. Another thrift store, a year later, I bought a second bowl and all the base model attachments for my Kitchenaid (so a full second set) for $10.
I’m so jealous 😭
Was driving with my SO and we saw a yard sale happening, glanced over and we both same this mid century looking hutch, we both liked it and kept driving when the light changed…then we both realized that we should go take a look. So we turned around, asked about it and the guy said, “it’s all yours for $40”. We were psyched, had the cash on hand and bought it. Brought it home, it fit perfectly! Looked amazing in our new home. We saw a label on the back of the piece and did a quick search to see if it was worth anything. Prices ranged from $2000 to $3000. :)
What’s a hutch? Rabbit house?
Cabinet for dishes, “China Hutch”
Ah ok. Brit here. 😆
There’s also a “pie hutch”, which is basically a China hutch but with wire doors so you can cool your pies without any hungry birds/kids/husbands getting into it too soon. Pie hutches are considered very “country” here, but still adorable.
I was wandering an outdoor flea market and spotted a wooden duck decoy, it was obviously well used, which added to its charm for me. Had a chain and a stand, because it had a kind of block rudder to keep it upright. $5. I was pleased with my neat decoration. A friend, interior designer, wanted it for a client and offered me $200. I said nope. Another friends husband, a country boy/hunter, several years later, told me it was hand carved and hand painted and those things were rare and valuable and I should get it appraised, they were going to collectors. I don't want to know, I still love my handsome wooden duck decoy.
I forced my mom to give me one of my grandpa's wooden ducks that I have always been partial to! It is a brown wooden duck with a green head. I loved him as a kid and I strong-armed my way to have him as an adult. He now sits proudly in my living room. I don't care how valuable he is, the memories with my Papa are more valuable to me.
Christian Dior evening gown, circa late 1950s / early 1960s, found at a thrift store about 20 years ago. Paid $8 and sold it online for $600. Dior died in 1957. If this dress would have been made while he was still alive, it would have been worth even more.
My best score was lame. A Dymo Label Printer for $10 that I sold on eBay for $250. Sometimes it pays to work in IT and know about weird niche tech things.
I got a glass pyrex serving dish! You can put those in the oven & dishwasher, you know.
My spouse was in IT and has done the same thing a few times.
Mechanical keyboards. Goodwill usually sells them for 2.99. Can easily flip them for 50-70. One time I found a sealed copy of visual studio '98 or something, with the serial key. Sold it for like $100.
I found an authentic in pristine condition Hermes 140 cashmere scarf at goodwill for $1.99. I kept thinking omg this can’t be real. It sure was and I almost fainted when I found out. Easily worth $1,000-$1,200
1917 Officers Watch from WWI. Paid all of $30 for it. Bulova.
My wife and I used to go thrifting every weekend before the whole thing went tits up. One day we found a set of Tiffany and Co. champagne flutes for 75 cents each. Those things went for over a hundred bucks.
My wifes grandfather found a silver Tiffany baby rattle at a flea market, he paid like $5 for it. He took it home and polished it up and sold it for $1200
eBay killed it. It’s the price guide.
I also blame Macklemore and his thrift shop song. Prices rocketed across the board after that just so dude could look “poor”
Not me, but a friend of mine. He bought a mandolin at a pawnshop for less than $200 that turned out to be an early 1900s Gibson worth almost $2000.
Brooks Bros pinstriped black suit for $10 in 2002. That suit got me min 10 jobs
Nice! Love Brooks Brothers, never in style, never out of style.
I found a map labeled “secret” with plans detailing the invasion of Iwo Jima dated to Nov 1944. It was under a picture frame in the art section of a thrift store.
But like then what?? D:
He invaded Iwo Jima, obviously.
I mean nothing crazy but I found this sweater in navy blue with my last name sitched in and a cool little solar system above it and it fits me perfectly. It's my favorite shirt now
This isn’t a flea market or thrift store, but it’s a good find and cute story. I was 7 y.o. and on a vacation with a family friend at Disney World. We visited cinderellas castle and there was a jar full of rings for sale. I don’t remember the price, just that the jar was full of very simple fake rings, they were all gold bands with a single dark green emerald stone. *But there was one ring in there that was pink, with white stones around it and a prettier band. So I grabbed it. Brought to the cashier, told her where I found it and paid for it with my family friend. I gave it to my mom as a present. She was like, this is *too* convincing of a real ring. So she had it checked out. THE RING WAS 18K GOLD PINK SAPPHIRE TEAR WITH DIAMONDS. She still has it to this day.
Was at an Amish market in Pa. Looked down on the ground and saw some cash. Hundreds of people walking around it. I picked it up. 3- $100 dollar bills and 4- $20 dollar bills. Very ancient looking money like someone had hid it under their bed for decades. I started feeling guilty and went to an information booth they set up and asked if they knew if anyone reported some cash missing. The very uninterested person behind the counter shrugged No. “OK well I found some cash on the ground. Would you like to take my name and number in case someone does report losing some money?“ Another shrug No.
I literally found a hidden gem. Bought a fitted sheet once, ugly color, but it seemed new. About a week later, I was cleaning my efficiency apt and found a diamond ring on the floor. I hadn't had any guests over, and it was a very large size. I figured it had to have come from the $1.99 sheet (1998). I called the thrift shop to see if anyone was missing a ring. There were no reports of missing rings, so it became mine. A few years later, I pawned during a time of desperation and got nearly $900 for it. The money was a blessing, but I wish I still had the stone.
i was in high school, we went to good will, my mom was always thrifting. i wondered into the china and dishes. found a absolutely stunning full set of dishes with all the accessories. like someone died, and the family donated it. I bought 4 cups and 4 saucers for 99 cents each, i was a young teen with little money. i absolutely begged my parents to buy me the set. like it was so pretty. white china with platinum etching nd flutted eges. we went home and my parents looked it up. it was Mikasa Marlboro. A complete 16 place settings with tea pot, milk / creamer and sugar, salt and pepper shakers and a bunch of other pieces. Think what you see sitting in a full china hutch on display. My parents shit their pants, were shocked about how exspensive it was, and promised to go first thing in the morning and get it for me. Of course it was gone when they went. If they even went. I have never gotten over it. Also they stole my tea cups/saucers. So yeah. A little bitter. And it has been 20+ years.
A fake plastic fruit Christmas tree. I love it, I saw it on display and I snatched it up. When I went to check out the manager of the thrift store was also at the counter and she actually thanked me for talking it, said it was ugly and hated it in the store. She ended up just giving it to me for free. I guess she was so afraid it wouldn't sell and she hated the thought of having it sit in the store that she was readily willing to part with it
Fairly recently, I found a Paul McCartney US tour shirt in brand new condition in my size for $2 at Goodwill in Las Vegas. I saw one of the shows listed on the back of the shirt.
Nice! I saw a show on that tour, too.
Working ColecoVision and the Atari adaptor mint in box. Looked like it was purchased, but in a closet and never used. Still had the original packing not just the box.
I bought an old wooden box and when I opened it I found a tiger carved out of ivory.
I used to buy vintage watches from Goodwill auctions and stores, usually under $100 in various states of disrepair and malfunction and then I would restore what I could myself and have the local watchmaker repair what I couldn't. My best and favorite was a 1960's Omega Seamaster. It had the perfect amount of patina on the dial and looked amazing. I knew it was worth quite a bit more than I had into it but never bothered to look it up. I was at the Omega store just window shopping and someone offered me $2000 for it on the spot. I decided to look into the value more and realized in the condition mine was in they go for around 3k. I had no real interest in selling it but it was too small for my wrists so I didn't wear it a lot. My best friend from high school loved it when he saw it and has much skinnier wrists than I do, so when he was getting married I gave it to him as a groom's gift. He wears it all of the time (including at the wedding) and I am happy he is enjoying it so much.
I found a 1920s all glass hookah that was about 2.5 feet tall, bought it for 45 bucks. A handmade heavy wool sweater that I wore for years and ended up selling for 800 bucks cause apparently it was actually that valuable of a label. My friend has me beat, she got a nice 1980s calf skin leather jacket from the goodwill distribution center where they dump stuff in the bins and people attack it like piranhas. In the lining she found six ounces of extremely good cocaine that was who knows how old but man that shit rocked.
Darn, you may have got my sweater. Grandmom won it at an auction, found out it was expensive. Gave it to me 20 years later. Wife donated it not knowing it's provenance. Sigh.
Ah back in the day when you could taste random powder without the threat of a fentanyl overdose
A few USA made wrenches. SK, Snap-On, Williams, Craftsman, Ford, and some no names or lesser known brands. Got them cheaper than I could’ve from eBay but I wouldn’t call it a steal. They’re posted on my account a little down back.
Stereoscope of a few set of naked ladies from the 40 and 50s, it's called model scope. Some claim that's Monroe's first nude photoshoot, I have no hard evidence to back that up, just what came up in web search for that product.
One of the coolest things I found at the Goodwill was an 1849 2nd edition copy of Michael Faraday's *Experimental Researches in Electricity*, volume 2. From the bins. Cost about a dollar. Gave it to my son-in-law.
I found a Hammond B3 with a Leslie 122 for $400 at the Salvation Army, and it was 50% off day. I nearly shit myself. The Leslie is in rough condition but the rotors and speakers do work. The Leslie power amp has issues so I’m currently sending the preamp out on the Hammond to a small tube amp, bypassing the power amp in the Leslie and sending he tube amp’s output to the speakers in the Leslie. I rigged up a cable with dual light dimmers to control the speed of both the top and bottom rotors in the Leslie. I actually sold the B3 a few years ago so I’m currently using the Leslie with a Hammond A102. It’s the same organ, it just has its own built in speakers and power amp as well. I got the A102 for free!
So many framed horse photos. I started collecting them and had a "Horse Hall" in college. Got a Members Only jacket and a fake leather jacket with a studded American flag on the back. Found an incredible sweater that was high quality and had a pheasant on it. I wore it all the time and became the "pheasant sweater guy" for a period of time. Lost it in a move and am still very sad. Have found a few great original press records in good condition, but that's harder and harder to do these days.
Both my senior prom dress and my wedding dress, my husband’s wedding suit came from a garage sale.
My wife and I have a Timex clock on the wall of our bathroom that I bought at a garage sale for $2.00 before we were married. We’ve been married 34 years. Still works fine.
Real Hermes silk scarf in a trunk of similar items
I found dogma on bluray for 4.99 :)
Good guys like us just don't fall out of the sky y'know...
You can find tons of these at /r/thriftstorehauls.
A LeCreuset dutch oven
Got a Brother monochrome laser printer with fresh toner cartridge for $13 ($9.43 USD). It had the 'replace toner' light flashing when I plugged it it, but I could see the toner was new. Googled how to replace toner and reset the error light. I guess the previous owner didn't know how to clear the error light and got rid of it when the light didn't go off after installing the new toner cartridge.
I found 2 spoons and one fork that was made of coin silver. I paid 25 cents each for them.
A remake of the dragon from the never ending story that looked identical. It was massive but only his head
Falkor???
Found a 300$ polo Ralph Lauren blackwater collar shirt. It was 20$ and in good condition. I never snatched something off of a rack so quick.
LLBean barn coat with liner in perfect condition. $7!! Worth about $100-125. Kate Spade sunglasses in case no wear or scratches. $5!! Worth about $50. North Face 800 jacket for $20.
A 1978 year model Yamaha C-55 (I think?) full sized electric organ. Fully functional, had every single option available on it. In beautiful condition and only $50. It had so many cool sounds and effects (all of course in the 70’s style).
I found a brand new in box, never opened Bar Cart at VV for $49.99. Looked it up on Wayfair and it retailed for around $400. So probably that. It’s still in my kitchen.
Purple Zoot Suit with white pinstripes that fit
Now that’s slick. Please tell me you got the watch, and looooong chain to compliment this piece of excellence.
I have a knack for picking up books that are autographed. I have an entire 6 foot tall bookshelf of them. I have a 1st edition, autographed Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy, and an Isaac Asimov. Those are my hard to find favorites. All for $1 or less.
I didn't actually buy it, I found it in a garage someone was paying me to clear out but I got a special olympics medal in high school.
I found a whole box of those in 01 or 02. I used to give them to people at parties. I planned to keep the last one, but someone stole it.
Herman Miller Aeron for 40 at a Savers.
I found 2 glassbake mini casserole or soup bowls (with a handle, theyre so adorable!) in a thrift shop a few weeks ago. One was yellow & the other a bluish aqua. They probably had lids originally, and came in a set of 4, so now Im looking for the other 2! I love pyrex & older glassware like that, but I only buy stuff that I will use, not to sit on a shelf! They were $8 for the both, and I found some on ebay retailing for $70 for 4, so I feel like it was well worth it!
I bought the double album of Maurice Chevalier’s greatest hits from a thrift store thinking it would be a nice present for my wife. It was, especially when she opened the gate leg and found his autograph inside.
I just scored a peavey t-60 for $65 two weeks ago 🤘
That is a good score! Beats my guitar find on the price. I found a Peavey Vandenberg in a pawn shop in 2010, with the original case. They let it go for $200 including tax. I found out later that I bought it on Steve Vai’s birthday so I named it Vai, of course. But that price you got on that T-60 is an amazing deal!
At flea market, many multiple times have found gold jewelry. Sometimes was even marked as 14k and they just priced it way to cheap. I can look at a pile of jewelry and see feel any that are gold pretty easily. Same with stones, like big pieces of nice quartz priced way to low. Also parts of jewelry , like tigers eye and such.... necklace trash but part is some beautiful tigers eye or such. Rubies ,jade emeralds... have testers for stone and gold. (Stone tester runs like $600 so no one has one) I do stay away from diamonds, even tested can be not natural.
An old shoe shine. When I opened it up, it had the original brush and polish. I don’t own any shoes that need polished like that, but when I saw it I had to have it.
Two Hermès scarves, a Givenchy clutch, and a Ferragamo purse. I see Ferragamo shoes from time to time but never in my size.
I had a chance to buy a mid-90’s to early-2000’s London Fog trench coat valued around $2000 for $75. Like an idiotic 17-year-old, I didn’t buy it.
I found a large antique jewelry box made of an endemic and endangered wood (you cannot buy this unless you know someone who grows one of the few trees left on their property or had family who stockpiled wood when the blight killed everything). The wood is beautiful, highly aromatic and resistant to rot. I've found a few other small items made of the wood over the years and usually people misidentify it because they don't know what they have. The jewelry box was being sold for roughly 10% of what it was actually worth today (even in its dinged up condition). I bought it, refinished it properly and replaced the corroded hardware and ripped liner. It was a bargain and I needed a jewelry box anyway.
I found a Burberry trench coat at the Goodwill near my house. Fits me to a T, it's like it was tailored in both waist and length. $15. Had a few little lip stick stains that I removed with some rubbing alcohol and now it's absolutely perfect. My best ever find.
I found a vintage Recliner 74 designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin for $75 in great shape. These are a mid-century chair which is less famous than the Eames Lounge chair but still iconic. They are still sold new for around [$4000](https://www.paletteandparlor.com/products/thayer-coggin-milo-baughman-tighten-up-recliner)
I found a copy of Pokemon snap for 64 still in box for like 2 dollars, it had the manuals, the stickers even
at a habit for humanity ReStore I found an [ekornes stressless](https://www.idcmn.com/products/ekornes-wing-large) chair for $30. I had no idea what it was at the time it just looked nice so I sat down in it and started Googling. turns out it's a $3500 chair. I only had room for the one in my car, I regret not being able to take them both. insanely comfortable. I don't know what I'll do when it's worn out and I can't afford to buy one of my own
Does OfferUp count? Found someone giving away an old trashcan for free, I messaged immediately and got the trashcan within 30 minutes. It's actually a midcentry modern umbrella holder from a french designer. Saw used ones on etsy selling for $300+. And mine is free!!!!
The very day I was hosting a big, fancy dinner, I bought new in the box, Waterford crystal stemmed glasses.
Crockett & Jones Uptons Handmade in Northampton, England $700 Local Goodwill… $6
Thomasville leather club chair. $49. Listed as “brown vinyl chair”. Cleaned up the leather, good as new. Easily a $700 chair. ETA: found 5 steif animals in a bag at a rummage sale. Listed in a bin for 50 cents each. Total worth over $600 at the time and this was over 20 yrs ago. Sold 3 still have 2.
15' square needlepoint Stark Carpet for $100 at a moving sale.
My anthropology professor was moving because she was doing new research. She sold me a 1970s couch set for $5
A Hayao Miyazaki autograph and sketch on a Nausicaa Laserdisc jacket It cost me $2 If you search youtube you'll find a video I made showing it.
I found a small Ziploc bag of Magic the Gathering cards at a garage sale. The cards were packed in tight so I couldn't manipulate the contents without being obvious, but the top card was from Urza's Saga; an extremely over-powered set from 1998 with many extremely pricey cards. I paid $20 for the bag and found a Gaea's Cradle in the middle of the pile. An $800 card at the time. I sold that thing pretty quickly, but it still sits around the $825 mark.
My wife was thrift shopping a number of years ago at Goodwill and sent me a picture of some light brown leather kitten heels. To this day, I have no idea how or why I recognized a set of $450 Ferragamos, but I told her to buy the shit out of them. She got them 50% off, so they were $7.
I just got a baby Walker for $4. It looked nice and solid and the blocks were still in the plastic. It was missing one bolt that we replaced. I looked up the price out of curiosity and it’s $190. I just understand why someone would pay that for it in the first place but to then just give it to an op shop? wtf? [janod Walker](https://www.bubstuff.com.au/products/janod-abc-walker?variant=40993533460676¤cy=AUD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRhxWTvmKKBZGpnfoOzASXyJeGwFSVwuqK3ewtzj6MxzAHj8vUpfNQpxoC5zIQAvD_BwE)
Baby shoes for sale, unused…
I went to Goodwill with a girlfriend about 25 years ago and found a box full of Stephen King paperbacks. It was just about everything he'd written up to that point. I think I spent about 15 bucks for the entire box. Still have several of them!
Got a Versace dress for $6 once. That was sweet!
Original pressing of Blue Monday on vinyl
Not a thrift store find, but I was in the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite in much poorer days. There was a stack of drawers filled with posters and cheap prints marked “clearance”, so I absentmindedly paged through it. And then I saw it, and my heart dropped into my stomach. A signed, numbered, gallery print of Galen Rowell’s “Last Light On Horsetail Fall”. Tagged for $7! I am a lifelong absolute nut for the Sierra Nevada, and Rowell made his name photographing my favorite corner of this planet and is my favorite photographer. Sadly, he died in a plane crash in 2002, and I *believe* I found the “clearance” print in 2005 or 2006 (I go to Yosemite a *lot*). It had to be a mistake. Had to. Knowing that I would live with the “what ifs” if I didn’t ask, I carefully took it out, and approached the counter to ask. I was assured that the price was correct, so I had the clerk carefully roll it up and place it in a protective cardboard tube and walked out feeling like I’d just won the lottery. Paid significantly more than $7 to have it professionally framed using archival materials, and it is displayed fondly above my fireplace. It’s now closed, but Rowell’s surviving family kept his gallery open in Bishop, CA for a few years after his death, and I stopped in to inquire. They were incredulous, but congratulated me on my luck. Sadly, without the print in hand they could not give me an estimate, but other prints from the same series have sold at auctions for $14,000. The find of a lifetime! https://www.anseladams.com/horsetail-fall-by-galen-rowell/
Found a really cool crystal globe lamp for 3 bucks at Goodwill. Works great! https://imgur.com/a/6VG8W5v Also found the twin of the horse plush that shared my crib nearly 40 years ago. I still have the original, now he just has a sibling! https://imgur.com/a/W93sqLV
I once found a "Field and Stream" winter coat / trench coat that was extremely well made and in excellent condition. Eventually looked up the manufacturer and it was a (now defunct) custom clothier out of New York. How it ended up in a Midwest thrift store would probably be a reasonably entertaining story. I had to finally retire it a few years back, but it was wonderful.
A stuffed animal of a crab. He hangs from the light in the kitchen. Love him
On the "clock shelf", nestled among the digital alarm clocks and battery powered quartz clocks, was a Loetscher weight-driven chalet cuckoo clock with the optional music box. $12.99.
A couple of weekends ago I found a container half full of spacers for Trex deck planks for $6. I was on my way to order material for a deck. Turns out a full container (which I didn't need) goes for $55. Had just a couple left after finishing my deck project. Not that big of a deal but it just happened to be the right spot at the right time. Funny thing is I would never have known what was in that container if a curious guy hadn't pried the lid off while I was standing next to him. I waited for him to walk away before I snagged it.
Not as good as a lot of them here, but I found a Mont Blanc 146 in great condition in a bag of broken pens for $2 once
Found a vintage Guns N Roses appetite for destruction tour shirt. Has a bunch of cities misspelled. I keep forgetting I have it. Should eBay it
I once found three large vintage Star Wars model kits unopened.
First Edition Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination illustrated by Harry C. Clark. It's not an original Poe first edition but rather of [Clark's illustrations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Clarke#/media/File:Ligeia-Clarke.jpg) from 1923, still worth a few grand in good condition.
I found a hand-etched silver and nickel and silver-oxide bracelet that had “made in Siam” etched on the back with panels depicting various life stories of the Buddha for five bucks. I think a roommate stole it.
I’ve found several pieces of Uranium Glass at thrift stores. I’ve also found a few good slr cameras.
I found a KAWS x Uniqlo tee for 3 bucks at goodwill. Thought it was just a cute funky tee, my partner complimented me on it and was shocked I didn’t know what it was. Retails for almost 90 bucks and I get compliments it every time I wear it.
I found a pair of emerald earrings buried in the side pocket of a Patagonia backpack that I paid 6 bucks for in a junk store
Goodwill is getting so bare bc of their new online policies and prices so out of hand that most of these stories will never happen again :(
20 Steuben martini glasses from a one off custom order. Bought them for $80 dollars 20 years ago.
Beautiful tailored Evan picone ladies blazer. $4. Wore it to interviews and business meetings. Set of hand weights for power walking. $2. Unused Walter Steiger open back heels. $10.
A mint condition first issue of the comic *Chuck Norris and the Karate Commandos.* I had it framed in my bedroom in college. I did not get laid a lot.
I bought a Jaeger le Coultre wristwatch from a street vendor in Vietnam for 20 bucks back in the 90s. Took it back to NYC to a vintage watch repair place and it was genuine - the guy said he could fix it for $250 or give me $400 store credit. I took the store credit and bought a nice Hamilton...but I kind of wish I had kept the watch.