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In 2018 or 2019, a thrift-store shopper paid just $1.50 for a purse because he thought it looked pretty; in a 2026 Antiques Roadshow episode, experts identified it as Cartier Art Deco and valued it at $35,000, with insurance above $100,000

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In 2018 or 2019, a thrift-store shopper paid just $1.50 for a purse because he thought it looked pretty; in a 2026 Antiques Roadshow episode, experts identified it as Cartier Art Deco and valued it at $35,000, with insurance above $100,000

The colourful design was found to be made from precious materials typical of Art Deco jewellery. (Photo: PBS) A man who spent just $1.50 on a clutch bag at a thrift store discovered years later that his inexpensive find was actually a Cartier Art Deco piece valued at about $35,000.The unnamed buyer brought the bright … Read more

In 2014, a Tennessee couple paid 58 cents for a West Point sweater at a North Carolina Goodwill; months later, experts authenticated it as Vince Lombardi’s, and it sold for $43,020

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In 2014, a Tennessee couple paid 58 cents for a West Point sweater at a North Carolina Goodwill; months later, experts authenticated it as Vince Lombardi's, and it sold for $43,020

In 2014, a Tennessee couple paid 58 cents for Vince Lombardi’s sweater; it later sold for $43,020 (Image Credit: Heritage Auctions) A sweater picked up for just 58 cents at a North Carolina Goodwill turned out to have a remarkable connection to football history. Tennessee couple Sean and Rikki McEvoy bought the black-and-gold sweater in … Read more

In 1994, a golfer paid $5 for a green jacket at a Toronto thrift store; it was later confirmed as an authentic 1950s Augusta National club jacket, and it sold at auction in 2017 for $139,349

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In 1994, a golfer paid $5 for a green jacket at a Toronto thrift store; it was later confirmed as an authentic 1950s Augusta National club jacket, and it sold at auction in 2017 for $139,349

A golfer was browsing through a Toronto thrift store when he came across a green jacket. The item looked interesting, and he knew this was an unusual find. It was priced at $5, so he bought it anyway.More than two decades later, the same jacket was sold for $139,349 at auction after Augusta National Golf … Read more

The creator of Squishmallows paid $26 million for a Bel-Air mansion in 2023 and is now asking $37.995 million; the three-level home was bought as an investment and was never his residence

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The creator of Squishmallows paid $26 million for a Bel-Air mansion in 2023 and is now asking $37.995 million; the three-level home was bought as an investment and was never his residence

Pic credit: Sotheby’s International Realty Jonathan Kelly, who made a fortune selling Squishmallows, the plush toys, has now put his Bel-Air mansion on the market for nearly $38 million, according to a report by Realtor.com. Pic credit: Sotheby’s International Realty During the pandemic, the Squishmallows craze took TikTok by storm, turning the once-niche toys into … Read more

A Michigan collector paid $30 for a seashell painting at an estate sale; it was later identified as a 1951 Gertrude Abercrombie work; now it has sold in New York for a record $1,352,600!

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A Michigan collector paid $30 for a seashell painting at an estate sale; it was later identified as a 1951 Gertrude Abercrombie work; now it has sold in New York for a record $1,352,600!

Alderman Merriam’s Shells, 1951​ Everyone peeks at an estate sale. He did too. He thought he would get his hands on some records or perhaps some mid-century furniture. That’s when he saw a painting hanging in the dark corner of a hallway. For most people, it may not necessarily have been an extraordinary painting. All … Read more

A UK collector paid £15 for a broken, lidless teapot at a 2016 auction; experts identified it as one of only seven known John Bartlam pieces, and it sold for £575,000 to The Met in New York

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A UK collector paid £15 for a broken, lidless teapot at a 2016 auction; experts identified it as one of only seven known John Bartlam pieces, and it sold for £575,000 to The Met in New York

The teapot was about 9cm high and 17.5cm across. Its cover was missing, while the handle had broken off and been restuck. A UK collector who paid just £15 for a broken, lidless teapot at an auction in 2016 later discovered that the piece was one of the rarest known examples of early American porcelain. … Read more

In 1979, Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee paid $220,000 for New York’s decaying Grey Gardens and restored it; 38 years later, the 6,000-sq-ft East Hampton estate sold for $15.5 million

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In 1979, Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee paid $220,000 for New York's decaying Grey Gardens and restored it; 38 years later, the 6,000-sq-ft East Hampton estate sold for $15.5 million

Photo (L-R): The Corcoran Group via MansionGlobal.com and Sally Quinn’s website In 1979, Washington Post journalist Sally Quinn and executive editor Ben Bradlee bought the infamous Grey Gardens estate in East Hampton for $220,000, rescuing a decaying 1897 mansion that had become a symbol of bohemian decline. After restoring the 6,000-square-foot home and using it … Read more

Beth Feeback paid $9.99 for a North Carolina thrift-store painting she wanted to cover with cats; it proved to be an Ilya Bolotowsky work and sold at Sotheby’s for $34,375, including fees

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Beth Feeback paid $9.99 for a North Carolina thrift-store painting she wanted to cover with cats; it proved to be an Ilya Bolotowsky work and sold at Sotheby's for $34,375, including fees

A North Carolina artist once walked into a Goodwill store looking for inexpensive material for her own artwork and walked out with what would turn out to be a valuable piece of American abstraction. Beth Feeback paid just $9.99 for a large painting in 2012, not because she admired the artwork, but because she wanted … Read more

A New Jersey woman paid $25 for a mouldy table at a garage sale; 30 years later, it was identified as a rare 18th-century card table made by John Seymour & Son and sold for $541,500

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A New Jersey woman paid $25 for a mouldy table at a garage sale; 30 years later, it was identified as a rare 18th-century card table made by John Seymour & Son and sold for $541,500

A New Jersey schoolteacher who bought a mouldy, pitch-black table at a garage sale for just $25 ended up owning a rare piece of American furniture worth more than half a million dollars. Claire Wiegand-Beckmann purchased the table roughly three decades before it appeared on Antiques Roadshow, when she was moving into a new home … Read more

A Connecticut man paid $35 for a bowl at a yard sale in 2020; experts revealed it was a rare 15th-century Chinese treasure and it sold for $721,800

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A Connecticut man paid $35 for a bowl at a yard sale in 2020; experts revealed it was a rare 15th-century Chinese treasure and it sold for $721,800

A Connecticut man paid $35 for a small blue-and-white porcelain bowl at a yard sale near New Haven in 2020, unaware that he had stumbled upon an exceptionally rare Chinese imperial-era artefact. The unnamed antiques enthusiast suspected the bowl might be special and later sent photographs to Sotheby’s for an evaluation. Specialists identified it as … Read more