Take A Look At The List Of Most Precious Thrift Store Or Yard Sale Findings

Philip Treacy Handbag: $317,000

John Richard was a man who loved to hunt for cool stuff at thrift stores and garage sales. He loved to find good stuff in the most unimaginable place. So at Oxfam, which is a British thrift store, he stumbled upon a very interesting item. There was a high-quality purse that had remained hidden in an old dusty box at the store. He decided to take the bag as it fit his personality so much.  He then bought the purse for just £20 ($32) which he haggled the price. When the cashier would not reduce the price of the bag, he decided to take it anyway and so he bought it. Richard then brought the bag to a Philip Treacy store where he could confirm the origin of his newly bought bag. Indeed it was an authentic piece of the world-renowned milliner, Philip Treacy. It was handstitched and created by none other than Andy Warhol and was valued at £200,000 ($317,000).

Red Nose Print: $9,000

Karen Mallet was just going about her errands at her local Goodwill when she saw one picture that took her attention. It was a painting that was quite an abstract face painting, with black and white stripes with a red nose. Then she found that there was a signature in the corner of the painting by the name of Alexander Calder. Since she was not really aware of the painter, she bought the painting for about $12.34 and did not think much of it at all. But when Mallet went home, she started to research the name Calder. She soon discovered that he had created lithographs—authorized copies— which bore close resemblance to the one she just bought. She then wanted to clarify if the signature was indeed Calder’s. After verifying that it was indeed a lithograph of Calder’s Red Nose, she sold the painting for $9,000.

Preparation To Escape To Egypt: $27,630

The painting we are looking at now was actually found inside a house. There was a student from Germany that had purchased the pullout for just $215 while visiting a Berlin thrift store. Just by looking at this painting you can tell that it has a very controversial element to it. The student went home and as soon as he got the chance, did some research on the painting. His curiosity paid off as he found that the painting was worth something, something much more than he had ever imagined. The oil painting was soon realized to be the work of a famous painter. This painting was titled Preparation to Escape to Egypt and had been painted somewhere during 1605 and 1620. The student further realized that the painting was worth a whopping $27,630 that he got after selling it.

Martin Johnson Heade Painting: $1.2 Million

This next incident happened at Indiana. A man was looking for a painting to help cover a hole that had been made on his wall at home. He found a painting that he thought would be the perfect cover up for his damaged wall. After finding this painting that he bought for just $30, he was super excited to take it home. He made a shocking discovery while he was playing a card game that consisted of famous painters and their work. He realized that the painting he had recently got was actually a work of art done by Martin Johnson Heade who is a renowned American still-life painter. He could sell the painting for over $1.2 million. That is not so bad for a painting worth $30 right? Sometimes we often find that the most valuable things in life are actually hiding in plain sight and we just need to be a little more curious.

All Quiet On The Western Front: $18,000

Laura Stouffer loved to go through thrift stores where she often finds the most interesting items. One day, she was doing her usual rounds ar a thrift shop when the painting called “Shepherd’s Call” caught her eye. This painting is thought of to have been finished during 1850 and late 1870s. But at first, Laura had no idea what the painting was about. She revealed that she thought the painting was aesthetically pleasing so she wanted to get it. There was no such extra fuss made about it. But then, when she went home, she soon realized that there was a lithograph of the movie All Quiet On The Western Front. It was an original copy as well. So then she decided to quickly raise the lithograph appraised. Later, after finding out the authenticity of the painting, the original piece of work lead to be a staggering $18,000.

Jackson Pollock: $50 Million

They say every dog has its day so this truck driver was no exception to this notion. Teri Horton was not much of a person who would go to lengths to prove the authenticity of things. However, this nature was bent a little when she had to prove the authenticity of one particular painting. She had fallen in love with a painting which she found at a California thrift shop. It cost her just $5 to buy this piece of art when she first got hands on it. She was contemplating on whether she should make this painting a base for throwing darts. But soon she discovered that they were original pieces of artwork done by Jackson Pollock. She even said,”who the [expletive] is Jackson Pollock?” She was so oblivious to the whole art world so of course, she did not know who Pollock was. Her story was even made into a documentary and this painting is now worth $50 million.