Woman Buys Beautiful Vase For $3.99 But Little Did She Know It Was Actually A Treasure Worth Much More

Jan 29, 2024

Many consider thrifting one of the best activities because, aside from scouting through vintage finds that seem to have a background story, you can get them for a much lower price.

One woman who liked to go thrifting every now and then is named Jessica Vincent. She had been a frequent thrifter, then one day, she bought a one-of-a-kind item for only $3.99, but little did she know that her life would change after that because she was able to sell it on for more than what she expected.

The woman spoke in an interview with CNN Style in December 2023 where she recalled that as a kid, she and her mom would often go to secondhand stores, flea markets, and even yard sales just to thrift good finds. Later in life, it also became her personal habit.

One random day, she and her partner went to Goodwill as they love going there around twice or thrice a week, and then she found an eye-catching decoration.

“People tell me I have a good eye… You can put me in an aisle with a whole bunch of dollar store stuff and I can pick out the one item with a little bit of value. I feel like I’ve trained myself — I’ve watched a lot of ‘Antiques Roadshow.’” she told the outlet.

Vincent found a glass vase shaped like a bottle with red and green color streaks around it. Upon holding it, she knew it was a “nice piece” and it was good quality.

She was surprised that no one picked it up and bought it before her because of how good it looked.

She later took the vase home after paying only $3.99. Upon inspecting it, Vincent said she recognized the markings on the glass which indicated that it was made in Italy. However, there was a missing word which made her curious.

Vincent decided to take some photos and post them in a glassware Facebook group, where people soon identified that the missing word was “Venini,” a popular glassworks company in Italy.

“They were like, ‘Yeah, this is really good,’... Some people were throwing out different makers and designers, until one person was like, ‘Oh, that’s Carlo Scarpa… very top shelf, every collector’s dream,’” she said.

She later found out that the vase she had was from the “Pennellate” series that Carlo Scarpa designed for the Italian company in 1942 when he became their creative director.

Richard Wright, the founder of the auction house Wright, told the outlet that when he saw the image of the vase, he knew it was authentic and it was “quite rare to find a work such as this one.”

Experts visited Vincent at her home to verify the vase, later identifying it as true. Wright later listed it on its website, and they valued it between $30,000 and $50,000.

The woman and her partner watched the auction online, and they were shocked because the vase’s final price reached up to $107,000.

“We were shaking; we were cheering… I can’t even put into words the excitement,” she said.

Although Vincent loved that she could say she owned a “Pennellate,” she felt that it was right for her to put it into auction so it can be “fully appreciated.” She also said that she needed the money more than she needed the vase.

What do you think of the expensive vase that the woman found in the thrift store? Would you sell it if you found the same item? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.