Brooch
In 2011, Thea Jourdan walked into a thrift store in Britain in the hopes of finding jewelry for her daughter. When she spotted a brooch, she brought it home for $31. Her daughter would wear it to school. It felt appropriate since it looked like costume jewelry. She had no idea that it was actually worth $43,000. An appraiser saw it when Jourdan had her engagement ring appraised. They found out that it was a royal gem that once belonged to a czarina from Russia!
Brooch
Rhinoceros Horn “Libation Cup”
An Australian thrift store lover had been poking around when he found a strange cup. He liked its unique design and paid $4 for it. He had it appraised by sending a photo of it to Sotheby’s. The auction house responded with great news! This was how he found out that it was a “libation” vessel from the 17th century. It was made of a rhinoceros horn in China. The cup was a communal vessel used on various occasions and rituals. The ones made of this material were deemed “magical objects.” They did not only have aphrodisiac properties, but they could allegedly detect poison too! It was said to be worth $75,000.
Rhinoceros Horn “Libation Cup”
