20 Forgotten Thrift Store Finds That Brought a Piece of the Past to Modern Homes

• We took out a mortgage and didn’t have money for furniture, so we decided to check out the flea market. We bought a couple of Viennese chairs from a sweet old lady there. One of them was wobbly, but my husband said he would fix it.
  At home, he started to take it apart, but a minute later he rushed over to me with trembling hands. It turned out there was a hole inside the leg with 3 gold chains in it! We thought long and hard about what to do. We ultimately decided to return the treasures to the old lady.
  The next day, we went back to the same spot, found her, and explained everything. She even teared up and then gave us one of the chains, so moved was she by our honesty.

In my excitement I mis-measured and it didn’t fit in the outback. So, I rug-tied it to the roof and drove home slowly, holding it through the open sunroof. I painstakingly vacuumed it after I got home because it made my allergies go crazy, but I’ve finally gotten it set up in my room. $34.99 well spent.

• In 2021, I found a framed fiber art piece of half a face and an eye. I recognized the work immediately and made a beeline for it.
  On the back was a description that it was from the artist Dierdre Scherer (well-known Vermont quilt artist known for her portraits of the elderly). I paid $7 for it. Upon researching comparable pieces of work, it’s worth about $2,500.

It’s practically like new, but I’ve gone ahead and given it a good deep clean. Solid kiln dried wood frame and the chinoiserie fabric is a cotton linen blend, the velvet is a cotton velvet with 100% cotton pile but still a touch of polyester.
Partial down filled seat cushion is plan to take the inner foam core out and replace with natural latex foam core. Got it for $150. First fell in love with this sofa years ago but could never afford it. I am ecstatic!

• It was years ago, the 1990s. My wife found a large crystal platter, the type a turkey might be put on upon the table. She paid something like $3 for it. Nice looking piece. She had no intention of using it. One of those items she cleaned up nicely and put on display in a lighted curio cabinet.
  A few days later, a family friend came over for a visit, my wife showed the platter to her. And the lady suddenly got all interested. The woman, Bonnie, was an antiques dealer. Made a special trip home and back to bring her book to verify the item. Yeah, turns out the thing was a collector’s item and valued to be worth at least $1,800, and possibly more.
  My wife has passed but now my daughter has it in her curio cabinet. Doesn’t want to sell it. Says it’s too nice-looking and besides it belonged to her mother.

I have picked up a few secondhand dresses online, but they’ve either been too small/big, had stains, or just otherwise didn’t work. Picked this up for $40 at a thrift store today. It fits like a glove and should just need a light cleaning before it’s ready!

• A painting of my parents’ boat. It had hung in their living room since I was 12. When I was in my mid thirties, they sold everything to travel.
  20+ years later, I walk into the local St. Vincent’s and there was the painting. It still amazes me a decade later. Yes, it hangs in my front room now.

It was on display with a bunch of costume jewelry. The opals caught my eye and I was pleasantly surprised when I turned them over! I got them for just $1!

I was elated because it still had the tags and I was planning on replacing my old one. Then it happened.
When I got home, I stuck my hand in the pockets and felt some paper. I pulled my hand out and there they were. $500 in crisp $100 bills. Today will forever be my best thrift store day.

• I bought a vintage teddy bear at a flea market, but it was pretty beat-up. I brought it home and decided to restore it myself. I carefully took it apart and found that the body was quite heavy.
  I reached inside, and there was a stack of old coins wrapped in a cloth. At first, I was happy and wanted to keep them, but my conscience wouldn’t let me do it. Tomorrow, I’ll go look for the seller and return the coins to him.

• I am an artist and often look for materials at flea markets. Yesterday, I saw a painting — a quite ordinary landscape with some birch trees. But the frame, though cracked, was solid.
  I bought it, brought it home, and carefully used a knife to remove the canvas. Suddenly a folded $100 fell into my lap. Apparently, it was someone’s stash. I don’t know what to do with it so far.