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A man in Pennsylvania was delighted to pick up a vintage makeup mirror at his local thrift store for the bargain price of just $10 and things got even better when he looked inside.
Engraved within the eye-catching case was a single word that was of major significance.
Justin B. who asked that his full name be withheld, has been thrifting for a decade now. “It is a bit of a learning curve to know what to look out for,” he told Newsweek. “My advice is to shop your interests. A cook is more likely to spot a Le Creuset pot and forged knives, while someone into photography will know what a Hasselblad camera looks like.”
According to research by Capital One Shopping, the U.S. is home to over 25,000 resale, consignment and not-for-profit resale shops. While Justin recommends you “shop your interests” he also recommends choosing where you shop for treasures carefully.
“Some stores will price and research their donations more thoroughly than others, some will put out more of an item type compared to surrounding stores,” he said. “Finding a good store and visiting consistently is the most important thing one can do.”
Justin is keeping the exact location of the Goodwill he regularly visits over in Pennsylvania close to his chest. Given his latest find, you can understand why.
He hadn’t been on the lookout for an antique makeup mirror that particular day, but there was something about the piece that immediately caught his eye. “It was a green case with gold lining and inscribed letters, inconspicuous from the outside,” he said. “Naturally curious, I took it out of the glass display case to look closer.”
The mirror had been gathering dust in the store for some time. So much so that its original price of $20 had been slashed by 50 percent. But Justin sensed there was something special about the piece. “The packaging felt premium, the intricate design etched on the top, and the heftiness to it many modern products lack,” he said.
The suspicion he was on to something good was confirmed when he opened the case to discover the word “Sterling” engraved inside confirming the case was made of the precious metal and likely worth considerably more than the $10 price tag. “I do hunt for silver when I'm at the thrift, so finding the Sterling hallmark near the hinge sealed the deal,” he said.
Justin purchased the makeup mirror then and there. He later went online and did a little more research into the piece, discovering another version selling for $180 on eBay. Justin thinks it could be worth even more than that. “It can be hard to price some precious metal goods due to the rising cost of silver,” he said.
For now though, he’s happy to keep the mirror in pride of place, knowing he hasn’t lost his keen eye for a thrift store bargain.