Vase bought at charity shop for $3.99 sells for $107,000 at auction

Virginia woman says she saved the rare artwork from ‘obscurity’

A bargain-hunter in Virginia hit the jackpot earlier this year when she discovered a vase worth more than $100,000 at her local charity shop.

Jessica Vincent, 43, bought the decorative glass item in June for just $3.99 and it has now been sold at auction for $107,100, after experts confirmed it was a rare piece create by a renowned Italian architect.

Ms Vincent, who trains polo horses, was scouring through the Goodwill thrift store in Hanover County, Virginia when her eyes fell on the glass bottle with red and green swirls.

She already had a feeling that it might be worth something when she noticed a small “M” on the bottom of the vase and thought it could be linked to Murano, an island in Venice popular for glasswork.

“I had a sense that it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece,” she said according to the New York Times. She added she had “no clue how good it actually was until I did a little bit more research”.

Joining Facebook groups to ask for advice, Ms Vincent was told that it could be an artwork by renowned Italian architect and designer Carlo Scarpa.

She was then directed to Wright Auction House and sent photos to Richard Wright, the president of the auction house, who “had a really good feeling” the moment he saw the pictures.

The specialist said it could be part of the “Pennellate” series that the artist designed in the 1940s. But Mr Wright said it is not known how many vases were made in the series.

“If it had a chip — even a small chip — it would have probably sold for under $10,000,” he said. “This was like a winning lottery ticket.”

Last week, the vase was auctioned to an unidentified private art collector in Europe for $107,100, a sum that was divided between Ms Vincent and Wright Auction House.

Ms Vincent, who got $83,500 from the auction, said she could not have taken the risk of keeping the vase at home, knowing the piece was so expensive and rare.

“I knew I wanted to get it back in the art world. They didn’t know it existed,” Ms Vincent said. “I feel like I saved it from obscurity.”