The story of a vase purchased for a mere $3.99 at a charity shop in Virginia and its subsequent sale at auction for an astonishing $107,000 is a tale of unexpected fortune and the hidden value of seemingly ordinary items.
Jessica Vincent, a 43-year-old who trains polo horses, discovered the vase at a Goodwill thrift store in Hanover County, Virginia. The vase, adorned with red and green swirls, caught her attention, particularly due to a small “M” marked on its bottom.
Suspecting a connection to Murano, an island renowned for its glasswork near Venice, Vincent believed the vase might be worth a significant sum. Her initial estimate was between $1,000 to $2,000, a guess she made before delving deeper into research.
Seeking advice through Facebook groups, Vincent learned that the vase could potentially be a creation of Carlo Scarpa, a renowned Italian architect and designer.
This led her to contact Wright Auction House, where Richard Wright, the president of the auction house, confirmed the vase’s significance. Wright identified the piece as possibly belonging to the “Pennellate” series designed by Scarpa in the 1940s, though the exact number of such vases created remains unknown.
The vase’s pristine condition significantly enhanced its value. Wright noted that even a small chip could have drastically reduced its worth to under $10,000. Instead, the vase was likened to a “winning lottery ticket.”
The auction of the vase culminated in a final bid of $107,100, made by an unidentified private art collector in Europe. The proceeds were split between Vincent, who received $83,500, and Wright Auction House. Vincent expressed her desire to reintroduce the vase to the art world, feeling she had rescued it from obscurity.
This remarkable incident highlights not only the unpredictability of value in seemingly mundane items but also the importance of knowledge and research in identifying hidden treasures. It underscores how objects of art and history can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places, waiting to be rediscovered and appreciated anew.