Comments on: Get Rich Quick: 6 People Who Accidentally Found a Fortune

By: Marina

Marina — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:43:16 +0000

At a church flea market once, I found a nice old tweed coat marked at $2. I put it on, was happy to see that it fit perfectly and walked up to the cash register to pay.
Out of old habit I put my hand in my coat pocket to get my wallet, and to my surprise found a $5 note and a bunch of coins. I was tempted to give the cashier the coins (it was more than $2) and tell her to “keep the change”, but changed my mind and gave her the $5 instead. Since I found the money in the pocket of the coat I bought, I felt it would be wrong to take the $3 change, and told her it was a donation to the church’s fund for good deeds.

I came out ahead though; although most the coins from the pocket were ordinary coins from the early 60′s, there were a couple silver dollars and a few other coins from the 19th century which turned out to be quite valuable.
Since I always lose my change, I sold the coins and used to money to pay for college.
No, it did not cover the cost of my degree, but he coat lasted through college.

Best value I ever got for a few minutes at a flea market!

By: embersoul

embersoul — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:43:51 +0000

My mother-in-law bought some frames at a thrift store for just a few dollars. Inside the frames are *signed* (in pencil, with his signature doodle below the name) Salvador Dali prints that, after some online research, look to be worth around $14,000 each! She knew their potential value when she bought them but the sales clerk had no idea who Salvador Dali was. :)

By: btbaby

btbaby — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:24:02 +0000

My partner and I were hitting garage sales about 13 years ago in West Seattle when he got visibly excited. He rushed up to a table and grabbed what appeared to be a very odd-looking, geometrically shaped candlestick. He managed to get it for $10. Turns out it is a signed piece from a particular design movement and is valued at $3000. It’s in a box in the garage, along with 100s of other finds …

By: tylor

tylor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:27:10 +0000

my dad found an original 1894 copy of the wreck of the titan at a libary. got it for 50 dollars. it is signed and the cover needs restitching back onto the pages but right now its in a lockbox until i get the money to have it restored.

By: Lazybum

Lazybum — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:20:34 +0000

My wife bought a bunch of stuff I thought was crap at tag sales. We had someone look at the stuff the other day.

I was right.

By: Marlin

Marlin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:23:52 +0000

Two years ago I went through the McDonalds drive-thru in Enola,PA and got the blue Park Place piece in their Monopoly game. Thinking it was pretty cool, I put it in the ashtray in my car (a convertible). Three weeks later I stopped at another McDonald’s in Bloomsburg,PA, and found that I had the matching Boardwalk piece. Unfortunately, I was driving on I-80 with my top down, and as I put the matching piece in the ashtray, it flew out the window. For two days I scoured a 5-mile stretch on I-80 between Bloomsburg and Mifflinville looking for the missing piece. Yes, for a brief couple of minutes, I was a millionaire. I’ve told this story a thousand times, and it never gets any easier to tell. Especially now, since there’s an ad on this page for the McDonald’s Monopoly game. FML!

By: P.K.

P.K. — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:36:23 +0000

After my grandma passed away, we the grandkids got some trinkets passed out to us. I might have been the only one to get anything vaguely valuable. They found an old watch in one of her winter coats and it was given to me.
Mom took a look at it and sais it was a good brand. I did some research, the brand might’ve been from our country but the watch was most likely swiss made, before the company moved their operations to china. It’s a windup ladies miniature pocket watch. I’m going to keep it, maybe have it cleaned and if I can find an actual clock smith, have the clockwork checked out. (don’t want some battery changer salesman opening the back and having the springs explode)

By: Joseph

Joseph — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:35:14 +0000

My ex was at a garage sale in southern Ohio and bought a dingy old picture that she said she decided to pay the $3 for because it ‘had personality’. I personally thought it looked like a dingy old picture that should have been left to be tossed out.

Fortunately for her, she didn’t do as I would have done… It turned out to be picture by Aubry Bodine that he experimented a new developing technique with and gave to a Johns Hopskins doctor whom had treated his mother.

We found out about his daughter having an exhibit in Baltimore of her father’s works, and upon showing it to her, she about fainted. Her husband said, “that discovery probably just paid for your kid’s college.” It’s now in a museum quality protective frame hanging on her wall. Appraisal is in the $20-$40k range.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:59:23 +0000

OK this isn’t exactly a fortune, but I think it might make a few people laugh and it was found (and under-valued) accidentally.

In the UK there’s a popular comedian called Paul Merton and in the 90s he wrote a book called “My Struggle”.

I found a hardback copy in a local secondhand bookstore, but it was reduced in price because it said it was a “Damaged Book – Not to be resold as new”.

It certainly appeared brand new with no damage, but it had been signed by the author!

By: best blenders

best blenders — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:24:53 +0000

i’ve been collecting antiques for years, from telephone to drink cans to chairs. None of it is worth more than $100 except for one item which i sold for $225. That item is a china procelain bowl which is believed to be from some dynasty.