This is a list of items purchased at junk sales that turned out to be treasures that resold for small fortunes.

List edit

Item Type of sale Location Purchase price Purchase year Resale price Resale year
Dunlap broadside[1] Flea market Pennsylvania, U.S. US$4 (equivalent to $9.83 in 2023) 1989 US$2,420,000 (equivalent to $5,413,516 in 2023) 1991
Ding bowl (Song Dynasty)[2] Tag sale New York, U.S. US$3 (equivalent to $4.41 in 2023) 2007 US$2,200,000 (equivalent to $2,877,600 in 2023) 2013
Third Imperial Egg[3] Flea market Ohio, U.S. US$13,302 (equivalent to $21,458 in 2023) 2004 Undisclosed, reports range from US$20,000,000 (equivalent to $25,740,793 in 2023)[4] to US$33,000,000 (equivalent to $42,472,308 in 2023)[5] 2014
Gemstone brooch[6] Garage sale Ohio, U.S. US$8 (equivalent to $10.62 in 2023) 2012 US$26,250 (equivalent to $32,629 in 2023) 2017
26.27-carat diamond ring[7] Car boot sale London, UK £10 (thus sometimes called the Tenner Ring) 1980s £657,000 (equivalent to £873,078 in 2023) 2017
Yongle Emperor-era lotus bowl[8] Yard sale Connecticut, U.S. US$35 (equivalent to $41.71 in 2023) 2020 US$721,800 (equivalent to $811,593 in 2023) 2021
Rhinoceros-horn libation cup[9] Op shop Melbourne, Australia A$4 (equivalent to $4.92 in 2022) 2013 A$75,640 2023
Photo of Billy the Kid Antique Shop Fresno, California US$2 (equivalent to $2.64 in 2024) 2015 Appraised to $5,000,000[10] 2015

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Blau, Eleanor (1991-06-14). "Declaration of Independence Sells for $2.4 Million". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  2. ^ McCafferty, Georgia (2013-03-20). "Bought for $3 at yard sale, bowl sells for $2.2 million | CNN Business". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  3. ^ "Flea Market Fabergé: The Third Imperial Egg | Barnebys Magazine". Barnebys.com. 2022-08-17. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  4. ^ "Find of the century? U.S. scrap dealer finds $20 million Faberge egg". Reuters. 2014-03-20. Archived from the original on 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  5. ^ "Scrap metal dealer becomes a millionaire thanks to Faberge Egg - UPI.com". UPI. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  6. ^ DeMarco, Anthony. "$8 Garage Sale Brooch Fetches $26,000 At Auction". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  7. ^ "Diamond ring bought for £10 at car boot sale goes for £657,000". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  8. ^ Holland, Oscar; Palumbo, Jacqui (2021-02-25). "Chinese bowl bought for $35 at a yard sale sold for over $700,000 at Sotheby's auction". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  9. ^ "$4 op shop buy sells for $75,000". amp.smh.com.au. Archived from the original on 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  10. ^ Cascone, Sarah (2015-10-14). "Priceless and Rare Photo of Billy the Kidd Found". Artnet News. Retrieved 2024-04-18.

External links edit