Man Thrifts Vintage $5,000 Plate for $4.99

A man turned his passion for thrifting into a pretty big payday after discovering a very expensive vintage plate tucked away in a stack of items at a thrift store.

The gentleman said he knew within a few minutes of finding the plates that he had discovered something special. But, what he didn't seem to expect was to find out just how rare the item in question happened to be, or how much money it would end up being worth in the long run.

Keep reading to learn more about the man who thrifted a vintage $5,000 for less than $5, including how he got to be so confident in his find after nearly 30 years of scouring thrift stores for amazing pieces just like the one he stumbled upon in 2023.

John Carcerano spoke to Newsweek about his experience at an Evanston area Goodwill, where he had been spending a lot of time recuperating after a prolonged illness had left him out of work for eight months.

He told the magazine how the plate had been at the bottom of a cart of stuff that had just come in, and how he and a few other shoppers swooped in to dig through the cart before the merchandise was officially put out.

But, where most people saw just an old looking plate, Carcerano saw treasure. So, he grabbed the plate which had been listed for sale at just $4.99. Using Google Lens, Carcerano told Newsweek he was able to establish the plate's identity and worth before even stepping up to the cash register, calling it "a rare 18th century Chinese armorial export plate" in his interview.

"Sometimes it takes some digging, but I did a Google Lens search and found one that had sold exactly like it for $4,400 and I knew within five minutes that I had something valuable," Carcerano continued. "Only two of these have ever sold in the last 50 years of auction history."

Not only that, but Carcerano's plate had the added benefit of having never been used, so he said that there were no scratches or chips.

Carcerano confirmed the worth of the plate with Sotheby's, where it's set to be put up for auction in June 2025.

"As far as I am aware, I don't think a Chinese export plate with Jewish arms has been offered in a Judaic sale before, therefore I am very excited to be able to work with you to bring this to market," a Sotheby's representative told him via an email that was shared with Newsweek.

While this is obviously a big win for the thrifter, who told interviewers that he'd been scouring secondhand stores for decades, it's hardly his first. In fact, he says he's found everything from a few hundred dollars worth of silver, to some Japanese art that he was able to sell for $1,500.

And he's not the only one. People frequently post stories about their amazing finds online, celebrating their thrift store hauls with the masses.

It just goes to show you, while shopping secondhand is already known to be good for the environment, it can also be good for your bank account as well. That is, as long as you're as eagle eyed as Carcerano is and able to find those special treasures hidden in with all of the other items put out for sale.