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Post by librarylady on Dec 19, 2023 22:45:09 GMT
“I bought it thinking it would look beautiful in my house somewhere,” said Vincent, 43, a horse trainer who paid $3.99 at a Goodwill outside of Richmond. “I definitely didn’t buy it thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to sell this.’ ”
Her thinking changed after some research. And on Dec. 13, the vase sold through the Wright Auction House for $107,100. The buyer, a top collector from Europe, wished to remain private.
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Post by lisae on Dec 19, 2023 23:12:43 GMT
I saw that on the news last night and thought that was the ugliest vase I'd ever seen. I certainly wouldn't have bought it for either price. Maybe I should pay a little more attention to what is at Goodwill. The vases are my first stop always because I buy flower vases there to use for bouquets I make and give away in the summer. I usually never spend more than $2.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Dec 19, 2023 23:21:35 GMT
Lucky. Although I do know the name, Murano. I have a few glass beads and a glass apple.
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,662 
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Post by Rhondito on Dec 20, 2023 0:37:49 GMT
Funny how different news sources frame the story. The NY Times makes it seem like she bought it because she thought it was valuable:
"After doing a lap around the store, she returned to the bottle-shaped vase with red and green swirls. She noticed a small “M” on the bottom that she believed stood for Murano, an island off Venice and the historical home of Italian glassware.
She had a feeling it might be worth something.
“I had a sense that it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece,” she said, adding, “but I had no clue how good it actually was until I did a little bit more research.”
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Post by Merge on Dec 20, 2023 1:20:56 GMT
You never can tell. It looks like something from the clearance rack at HomeGoods.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Dec 20, 2023 3:58:21 GMT
You never can tell. It looks like something from the clearance rack at HomeGoods. That is what I was thinking. It doesn't look like anything special. I wouldn't have ever expected that to be the worth anything. |
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,731
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Dec 20, 2023 17:57:33 GMT
If someone had given me that vase as a gift, I would have dropped it off at Goodwill too.
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uksue
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500
Location: London
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Post by uksue on Dec 20, 2023 19:36:14 GMT
I always feel a bit sorry for whoever donated these gems, not knowing their worth. If they wanted to help the charity they could have helped much more had the item been auctioned on behalf of the charity.
I found a lovely Mulberry purse in a local charity shop and pointed out to the server that it was genuine. She wouldn't change the price on principle, so I bought it,sold it on one of my mulberry groups and donated the profit back to the cause.
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Sarah*H
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,978
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Post by Sarah*H on Dec 20, 2023 20:57:36 GMT
My sister is disabled as a result of a work injury and going to the Goodwill Bins & selling her finds is how she supports herself now. You would not believe the things that she finds in those bins. So far nothing as valuable as this but it's always the dream! She has a friend who does it just with rare books and he regularly finds books that are worth $1000+.
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Post by AussieMeg on Dec 21, 2023 9:53:39 GMT
I don't think it's ugly at all, I really like it. I definitely would have bought it for $4. And if I saw the Murano mark on it, I would have known it was worth a bit, but certainly not as much as that!
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Post by workingclassdog on Dec 21, 2023 17:48:51 GMT
I don't think it is that ugly at all either AussieMeg. It's maybe not my style and may have not been on my radar but if I thought it was Murano I very well would have picked it up, if cheap enough like $4. I follow Crazy Lamp Lady and she is all about glass.. I am sure she has seen this story by now. She has a good eye. |
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Post by danalz on Dec 21, 2023 22:19:30 GMT
My DS works at Goodwill and I always share these stories when I see them. He said that he could get fired for buying something at his store and then selling it for more money. I guess it goes against their mission or something.
Taught me a lot about how Goodwill operates. Hint for your donations (he takes in donations): don't mix shoes or household items in the same bag or box as clothing. Try to keep them separate as they go in separate bins and it is faster for the intake people to get them in the correct bins and move on to the next car driving up.
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