Sean and Rikki M. like to buy vintage clothes from thrift stores and then resell them online.
They live in Tennessee but were visiting Asheville, North Carolina and stopped at a local Goodwill store.
While browsing the store they found an old sweater with “West Point” on it.
“I picked it up and thought it was cool,” Sean said. “At first, I thought it was a basketball warm-up.”
Goodwill outlet stores weigh items for cost, so Sean purchased the West Point sweater for 58 cents.
When the couple returned home, they started looking at the sweater to determine how much they could resell it for.
While examining the clothing they found the word “Lombardi” written in black ink on a cotton cloth sewn inside the sweater.
It turns out the sweater was owned by one of the greatest football coaches to ever live, Vince Lombardi.
He wore the sweater when he coached at West Point from 1949 to 1953.
“I didn’t see the Lombardi tag when we walked out with it or I might have made a connection,” Sean said. “My wife saw it but she didn’t know who that could be.”
Sean did some research and was able to find a picture of Lombardi wearing the sweater.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame wanted the couple to donate the sweater, but the couple decided to auction it off instead.
The auction house was able to bring in a football memorabilia authenticator who verified the sweater belonged to Lombardi.
The couple ended up auctioning the sweater for over $40,000.
Turning 58 cents into $40,000 is a good return on investment.
There are plenty of situations where people have found rare items at thrift stores that are worth thousands or millions of dollars.
But thrift stores can also be treasure troves for survival gear to add to your emergency supplies.
From yard sales to thrift stores, second-hand gear can be a great way to bolster your supplies.
For instance, here are a few of the best items you can find second-hand.
Cast iron cookware:
I have a relative who has tons of cast iron cookware including two Dutch ovens – but none of it has ever been used.
Cooking with cast iron isn’t as popular as it used to be so a lot of folks might donate it to thrift stores.
But in a survival situation, cast iron is a great way to cook.
It’s durable and can be used to cook all sorts of items with different heat sources.
So, make sure to check the kitchen or dishware section of the thrift store.
Manual tools:
Society has become too dependent on electric or battery-operated tools.
Things like manual hand mixers and can openers are things everyone should have on hand for an emergency.
These things are easy items to find at a thrift store.
Jars/containers:
Items like mason jars and other containers can often be found in thrift stores.
People have tons of mason jars and often don’t use them, so they give them away.
But, whether it’s mason jars or other types of storage containers for gear, you can find them cheap at second-hand stores.
Winter clothes:
If you are like my family, you and your kids might grow out of clothes like winter jackets all the time.
Thankfully, winter clothes are easy to find at thrift stores.
During a survival situation, one of the best ways to survive a cold situation is to add layers.
And visiting a thrift store is a good place to find winter clothes you can make part of your bug out gear or winter survival gear.
You can get it all without breaking the bank on a fancy winter coat that might otherwise be too expensive.
So, next time you pass a thrift store it’s worth stopping by to see what they have.
Who knows, you might find something that is worth thousands of dollars or a vital piece of gear that can save your life during a disaster.
Now, you can absolutely find some good stuff at thrift stores, but it’s hit or miss if it’s ever going to be in stock – or in good shape.
