Richmond thrifter turns serendipitous find into a six-figure jackpot

In a remarkable tale of thrift store fortune, Jessica Vincent from Richmond, Virginia, turned a routine thrifting trip into a six-figure windfall. Her $3.99 Goodwill purchase, a seemingly ordinary vase with green and red streaks, proved to be a rare Italian gem by designer Carlo Scarpa.

Vincent’s astute eye and a distinctive ‘Venini’ signature on the vase’s bottom prompted her to explore its potential value. The savvy thrifter subsequently sold the vase at a Wright auction for an astonishing $107,100.

Richard Wright, president of the auction house, commended Vincent’s shrewdness in recognizing the vase’s worth. The ‘Venini’ signature, along with research and consultations with an Italian glass collecting Facebook group, unveiled the rarity of Scarpa’s Pennellate series piece from 1942.

“It’s a very well-documented piece of glass. Carlo Scarpa is really one of the preeminent, most famous glass designers of Italian glass in the midcentury. So, his designs are valued by the market right at the top,” explained Wright.

The auction house illuminated the artistic significance of Scarpa’s work, describing it as influential, enigmatic, and possessing a transcendent quality that creates powerful emotional states.

The estimated value at $30,000 to $50,000 proved conservative as the buyer willingly surpassed expectations, paying over double the initial estimate.

Wright expressed delight at the outcome, acknowledging the mystery surrounding how such a valuable piece found its way to Goodwill. Whether it was inadvertently donated or passed down without recognizing its significance remains speculative.

In the world of thrifting, Jessica Vincent’s discovery stands as a testament to the hidden treasures waiting to be unearthed.