The Great Secondhand Finds Of All Time

When you wander into an ‘op shop’ or stroll through a flea market while out on a Sunday walk, chances are you’re probably not expecting to make a life-changing discovery. You might come across a few great finds; maybe a cool retro jacket or an interesting old piece of furniture worth taking home, but your expectation isn’t to come across something worth five, six or even seven figures. The reality is that finds like this are out there and for those who have had the keen eye (and of course, the incredible luck) and plucked them out have found themselves on the end of some incredible sales. Here’s just four of the most valuable second-hand finds. 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 

When it comes to return on investment, it really doesn’t get much bigger than this. The story dates back to 2007 (well, technically it dates back to 1776 but you get the idea), a music equipment technician named Michael Sparks wandered into a Nashville op shop and came away with what he thought was a cheap copy of the Declaration of Independence for literally a couple of bucks, $2.48 to be exact. Only this cheap copy was actually one of only 200 copies commissioned by then US Secretary of State and future President John Quincy Adams back in 1820 (of which only 35 were still accounted for by 2007). After researching his find and discovering its potential value, Sparks ended up putting the document up for auction, where the historical relic banked him a staggering $477,650 USD (what would now be around $920,000 NZD when adjusted for inflation). 

VELVET UNDERGROUND RECORD 

While not a near six-figure score, stumbling upon a one-of-a-kind piece of music history purely by accident is still a pretty awesome result. Canadian casual record collector Warren Hill did just that back in 2002, when he fronted up $0.75 a curiously labelled acetate record from a yard sale in Chelsea, New York, with a sleeve that simply read “Velvet Underground… 4/25/66… N. Dolph”. Hill and an industry friend investigated and discovered that the mysterious record was a Columbia Records recording of legendary rock band The Velvet Underground’s first ever studio session from 1966, featuring a number ‘lost’ songs and original recordings of some of the band’s most iconic tracks. Hill eventually sold the record on EBay in 2006 for a cool $25,000 USD. 

ALEXANDER CALDER NECKLACE 

Jewelry is always interesting op shop fodder, in that it’s probably the category that feels most likely to produce a big score, though very rarely comes through with anything of real value. An exception to this rule came about in 2005, when a Philadelphia woman ‘splurged’ on a $15 necklace at a local flea market. It was three years later when she was exploring a special exhibit on the work of sculptor Alexander Calder at the Philadelphia Art Museum when she picked up on some similarities between the exhibits and the necklace she had bought years earlier. A consultation with the Calder Foundation confirmed her suspicions and she eventually offloaded the piece at a Christie’s auction in 2013 for an awesome score of $267,750 USD (almost $460,000 NZD adjusted for inflation).  

FABERGE IMPERIAL EGG 

This one differs from the others in that it required a bit more of an investment than just some pocket change. This alluring ornament was purchased by a scrap metal dealer at a flea market for a fairly sizable sum of $14,000, and it is believed that the dealer intended to melt the piece and sell the gold for a modest profit. Only upon doing due diligence in the form of an internet search, he would discover that his potential payout could be far, far greater, as he unearthed the reality that the ornament was an incredibly valuable Russian royal heirloom. The piece was one of just 50 Faberge Imperial Eggs, and after consulting with an expert, the dealer found himself the recipient of what was likely a staggering multi-million dollar payday (the actual figure the piece was sold for was undisclosed, but the piece was valued at over $30 million USD!)