$3.99 vase turns out to be 2000-yr-old

 

A Virginia shopper might have found the best deal of her life after thrifting a rare Italian glass vase for $3.99.

While shopping at a local Goodwill store with her partner, Jessica Vincent noticed something caught her eye: a stunning glass vase with a swirling translucent red and seafoam green pattern in perfect condition. While she knew she had to have it she didn't know it would be worth over a $100,000.

"Thankfully, there was nobody in the aisle and I picked it up and I couldn't believe that it was glass like solid glass not painted. It was iridized it was just really beautiful up close," Vincent told USA TODAY. "In my mind, I thought maybe it's like a $1000 $2,000 piece. I knew it was good but I didn't know it was like the master work that it is at the moment."

Vincent, a Richmond, Virginia native who raises polo ponies, found a collectors Facebook group that directed her to several auctioneers including the Wright Auction House.

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Some of Wright auction house's specialists visited Vincent to see the piece in-person and make an offer. After careful consideration the vase was auctioned off through Wright and sold to a private buyer.

"For me, it's like winning the lottery really. It's just an incredible thing," she said. "It's super, super surreal. Even now, I'm still pinching myself."

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'A life changing amount of money'

Vincent said she felt blessed that years of frequent thrifting experienced paid off huge. She said she recently bought an old farmhouse that needs a complete renovation and is excited she can now afford a heating system.