US Man Buys Plate for ₹415, Discovers It's Worth ₹3.8 Lakh: ‘When Everyone Left’
After paying just ₹415 for a dish at a secondhand shop, a man discovered that it was a rare 18th-century antique valued at nearly ₹3.66 lakh.
According to the New York Post, an Illinois carpet cleaner named John Carcerano made a profitable discovery at a thrift store in the United States. He purchased a dish for just $4.99 (about ₹415) and later discovered it was a rare 18th-century Chinese antique worth over ₹3.66 lakh.
The plate was first hidden under an older one when Carcerano discovered it while browsing goods at a Goodwill store. He swiftly recognised the object and recognised its possible worth using Google Lens. He bought the plate right away because it had just been auctioned for $4,400 (about ₹3.66 lakh).
"I knew I had something valuable within five minutes," Carcerano told Newsweek. "In the past fifty years of auction history, only two of these have ever sold."
Carcerano discovered the plate while looking through a cart with three other people. Carcerano is an experienced thrifter with 35 years of experience purchasing and selling antiques. He recalled, "I noticed the plate was underneath a modern one in the corner of my eye when everyone, including myself, walked away from the cart after we went through it."
Experts confirmed
He brought the plate to a number of auction houses, including Sotheby's in New York, to confirm its authenticity. Its authenticity as a “Chinese export armorial chamfered rectangular platter” from the Qing dynasty’s Qianlong period, circa 1775, was confirmed by experts there. The plate was also verified by Bonhams and Leslie Hindman's in Chicago, who estimated its value to be between $4,000 and $6,000 (₹3.33 lakh to ₹5 lakh).
Carcerano also sought proof of its rarity from Facebook communities dedicated to ancient Chinese porcelain. My dish is unique because it has no scratches and was never used or eaten on. "It's immaculate," he declared.
This revelation was made possible in large part by his wealth of thrifting knowledge and experience. He said, "I sometimes wait for the carts to come out for several hours." "The majority of the good stuff is gone by the time they reach the shelves, so I find it's best to get them when they first come out."
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