A woman identified as Jessica Vincent, has sold a $3.99 vase she bought from a charity shop at the rate of $100,000.
According to The New York Times, Jessica Vincent made the purchase at a Goodwill thrift store situated in Hanover County, Virginia.
She said she had a gut feeling that the item might hold a value slightly higher than the norm.
“I had a sense that it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece, but I had no clue how good it actually was until I did a little bit more research,” she told the paper after noticing a small ‘M’ on its bottom which she suspected might stand for Murano, an Italian island near Venice famed for glasswork.
Acquiring the vase for $3.99, Vincent conducted online research, discovering enthusiasts who noted its resemblance to a creation by renowned Italian architect Carlo Scarpa.
Subsequently, Vincent forwarded images of the vase to the Wright Auction House.
The president, Richard Wright, , swiftly contacted her, expressing his positive impression upon seeing the photos. “The minute I saw the photos, I had a really good feeling,” Wright conveyed to the Times.
Recently, the vase fetched a staggering $107,100 from an anonymous European private art collector.
Its official identification as part of Scarpa’s 1940s “Pennellate” series contributed to its high value and sale.