It would be harder to find a greater temple to human creativity than the thrift store. Places, where unneeded items are abandoned, are so often a stop for so-called bad ideas, from hardly-useful inventions to rejected art and clothing that was never in style in the first place. But these weird things haven’t found their final resting place… they’re just waiting to be found by people who they truly speak to.
To quote a saying that the Facebook group Weird Secondhand Finds lives by, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Their hauls, taken variously from thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets, and relatives’ closets that haven’t been cleaned in decades, prove that among the items that people decided they didn’t need are some seriously fascinating creations. Sometimes you can even find incredibly valuable and educational artifacts at thrift stores that you won’t believe somebody let slip away.
If you can't get enough after looking through this gallery of thrifting oddities, check out our previous lists of the best second hand shop finds.
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#1 Found At A Thrift Store On Whidbey Island, WA -This Old Battered Book Caught My Eye Because It Looked Like It Fell Off A Pirate Ship
Upon further inspection, I found it was a Mark Twain, first edition, printed in 1883 which makes it 137 years old. I bought it for $5
It is a delicate old thing. The pages are chipping with age, and like all secondhand finds, I wonder about its history. How did it get from Little Rock, AR (per the handwriting) to a little island in the Pacific Northwest? Who’s hands have touched it over the course of 100+ years? At one point it rolled out of a printing press into a world that still utilized horse-drawn carriages. I’m unsure of its value, but I treasure this battered old book and will continue to keep it safe
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392points
#2 It Started With One Dinner Plate In A Oregon Thrift Store In 2003
I thought, oh that's nice! And bought it. Then I found the tea cups about 6 months later... Piece by piece, every one of them hunted up at a thrift store in the PNW, building up to this marvelous collect you see today. 17 years in the making. I didn't find anything for years, then recently found a second serving platter and serving bowl
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379points
#3 At $29.99, This Was The Most Expensive Thing I've Ever Bought At Goodwill. A Mr. Christmas Musical Bell Symphonium
It came with 8 disks, and even had the velvet pouch for the discs, the instructions, order information paper for additional disks, and a survey
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362points
In summer 2019, somebody found a pencil drawing of a nude girl composed of distinctively warped lines in a Habitat for Humanity thrift shop in New York City. Suspecting that it was drawn by Egon Schiele, he contacted a scholar of the artist’s work, who was surprised to find that it was genuine upon analyzing the materials and comparing it with a sequence of Schiele’s drawings.
The newly discovered Schiele piece was determined to be from 1918 and was valued at $100,000 to $200,000. The gallery that the observant thrift store buyer brought it to confirmed that a portion of the proceeds from selling it would be donated to Habitat for Humanity, the charity that the thrift store benefits.
#4 My Daughter Was Driving Down The Road And Found This Gem At The Curb For Trash Pickup. He Is Now Protecting Her Porch
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359points
#6 So I Picked This Up Today At Goodwill. My Daughter And I Love It. My Mom Thinks It’s Gross. I Am A Nurse I Think I Should Take My Lunch In It
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352points
#7 I Found This Kids Chemcraft Chemistry Set At A Flea Market In Nashville, Tennessee. People Would Lose Their Minds If Something Like This Was Released Today For Kids To Play With
And yes, that's real yellowcake and radioactive uranium ore in the two atomic energy vials. She was asking $22 for it but I think I ended up paying $10. She put a sticker on it saying it's from the 60's but the booklets that came with it state that this is kit no. 10 which was produced in 1947. According to research done in oak ridge, Tennessee, in mid to late 1947, porter chemical company produced laboratory kits for children that included an atomic energy component. Initially, they produced two kits. The no. 10 kit and the no. 25 kit. It's not in the greatest shape and I'm sure there are items missing, but I worked at a uranium enrichment plant for years so I had to have it
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351points
#9 Fridge Magnet Find! It’s Okay, You Can “Call” Me Nostalgic. Push Me - Yep It Does Ring
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348points
#10 He Lives In The Bathroom And Holds Period Products. He’s The Bloodhound
This wasn’t his first job, he previously lived in an all male house. Given to me by a friend moving out of town. Long island, NY
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319points
#11 I Saw This Stunning Piece Of Stained Glass On The Side Of The Road Off Route 9 In Berkeley Springs, WV. I Turned Around Because I Couldn't Just Leave It There
I paid $20 and struggled to fit it into the back of my car as it is about 30.5" x 42", catching the pieces as they fell out along the way. I took this beauty to Fogal glassworks in Chambersburg, PA to be repaired. I spent $320 on the repairs and was informed by the shop that if I wanted this piece made from scratch today it would cost over $1500. I am so glad I could save this beautiful piece of art
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315points
#12 We Just Happened To Go To An Antique Expo In Town Where We Found A Silly Cycle. My Grandfather, Reedy Ellington Mclellan Sr., Invented Them
The most wonderful thing happened today. After recently moving to a different state, we just happened to go to an antique expo in town where we found a silly cycle. My grandfather, Reedy Ellington McLellan Sr., invented them. There are probably only a handful left in existence. I burst into tears when I saw it. I had to bring it home with me, and the guy was nice enough to cut me a deal. I couldn't be happier
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312points
#13 I Raise You One 1890s "Bryce's English Dictionary"
"The smallest English dictionary in the world comprising, besides the ordinary and newest words in the language short explanations of a large number of scientific, philosophical, literary and technical terms"
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308points
#14 I Noticed An Old Reader's Digest On The Counter. Matter-Of-Factly, I Flipped To Page 118 And Showed The Cashier My Picture From 1998
There I was, checking out of a random second hand shop in laurel, MD when I noticed an old reader's digest on the counter. Matter-of-factly, I flipped to page 118 and showed the cashier my picture from 1998. I was part of a feature because I had found my job on the {gasp} internet! Of course I bought it, and no, the cashier did not believe it was me!
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296points
#15 Here’s My Boy Bax Looking Regal Af In His Tiny Chair That I Found At The Goodwill. Someone Serve This King Some Tea & Crumpets Already
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295points
#16 I Bought A Painting Of What I Thought Was A Flower In A Pond At The Goodwill In Glendora, CA And Hung It Up. Only My Husband Fixed It It's A Cow
290points
#17 My Mother And Father Were Married In September Of 1954. She Was A Seamstress And Made Her Own Honeymoon Dress (First Picture)
My parents both have since passed away so we kept the dress in storage for all these years. My sister thought it would be neat to have my oldest daughter try the dress on and it fit her beautifully
290points
#18 Here’s My 89 Year Old Grandmother And Her “Camera” She Is Also A Mini Find As She Is She Is 4ft 5 Inches In Height
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287points
#19 My Mom Recently Passed. She Left Me Some Very Interesting Items. For Starters, This Jewelry
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286points
#20 I Found This Beautiful Chaise For $6 At A Church Thrift Store. It Was My Cat's Favorite And When She Passed We Retired It To A Shelf In Our Library In Her Honor
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283points