A vase that costs $3.99 at Goodwill is worth over $100,000.

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In June, Jessica Vincent navigated a crowded Goodwill resale store in Hanover County, Virginia, passing by VCRs, lamps, and glassware commonly found at big-box stores. She didn’t really see anything until she came across a glass vase that was iridescent.

In June, Jessica Vincent navigated a crowded Goodwill resale store in Hanover County, Virginia, passing by VCRs, lamps, and glassware commonly found at big-box stores. She didn’t really see anything until she came across a glass vase that was iridescent.

She circled the store and came back to the bottle-shaped vase with the swirls of green and red. She thought the tiny “M” on the bottom represented Murano, an island off the coast of Venice that has historically produced Italian glassware.

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It might be worth something, she thought.

She added, “I had a feeling that it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece, but until I did a little more research, I had no idea how good it actually was.”

The vase has no price on it. Vincent, 43, promised herself that she would just pay $8.99. It cost $3.99 when the clerk rang her up.

She learned more about the vase by joining Facebook forums for glass identification after she got home from the Goodwill charity store. Several members directed her to Wright Auction House, stating that famous Italian architect Carlo Scarpa appeared to have designed it.

Richard Wright, the president of the auction firm, asked if he could call as soon as she submitted the pictures. “I felt great as soon as I saw the pictures,” he remarked.

An unidentified private art buyer in Europe purchased the vase on Wednesday for $107,100. Vincent received roughly $83,500, while Wright Auction House received about $23,600.

Experts who examined the work concluded that it belonged to Scarpa’s “Pennellate” series, which he created in the 1940s. Wright notes that the number of vases produced of this type remains uncertain.

He claimed that the glass’ immaculate state was what most impressed him.

“It probably would have sold for less than $10,000 if it had a chip, even a tiny one,” he stated. He compared the experience to winning the lottery.

How the vase ended up at the Goodwill store remained unknown.

Laura Faison, a representative for Goodwill of Central & Coastal Virginia, which handles more than 2 million donations annually, stated that it would be very difficult to identify the precise donor of this artwork.

At first, Wright Auction House experts predicted the vase would sell for between $30,000 and $50,000. Vincent stated she knew she didn’t want to keep it, even though it was worth money.

“I was a little anxious to own it after I realized how valuable they could be and how uncommon they are because anything could happen to it,” she added. “When a piece is so costly, it makes you wonder, ‘What if?'”

The images of it being knocked over, someone breaking in, or being destroyed by a fire or other natural disaster raced through her head.

“I was certain that I wanted it to return to the art world.” “They were unaware of its existence,” Vincent remarked. “I think I prevented it from going extinct.”

She said that, in a sense, it also saved her.

Vincent, a polo horse trainer, purchased a 1930s farmhouse in January. Two space heaters currently heat it, but it needs significant upgrades. She intends to extend fencing, install a dishwasher, and improve her heating system using her newly acquired funds.

Vincent claims that she has been frequenting thrift stores with her mother since her early childhood, and over the years, she has become skilled at uncovering hidden treasures. Vincent added that she enjoys researching her purchases and is a huge admirer of “Antiques Roadshow.”

She has previously purchased objects for a few dollars, including lithographs by Burt Groedel and a Bali woodcarving that she estimates were worth several thousand dollars.

However, she never anticipated a find to transform her life in all the years she spent shopping at secondhand stores, but she claimed that’s part of the joy.

Vincent remarked, “You never know what you’re going to find.” “It’s the excitement of the chase.”