thriftstore

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

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

In 1966, a New York art teacher paid under $100 for a thrift-store painting; 60 years later the FCB Cadell work sold for £189,200

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In 1966, a New York art teacher paid under $100 for a thrift-store painting; 60 years later the FCB Cadell work sold for £189,200

The painting depicts Cadell’s north-facing studio on the first floor of his home in Edinburgh In 1966, retired art teacher Helene Plotkin bought a painting for less than $100 at a thrift store in White Plains, New York. She liked the work enough to take it home and display it, but she had no idea … Read more