A man in Illinois recently made the thrift store find of a lifetime after purchasing a plate for $4.99 at a Goodwill.
Carpet cleaner John Carcerano discovered the piece of porcelain, which was hidden underneath a more modern plate, was actually an 18th-century Chinese armorial export plate.
Because Carcerano was a regular thrifter, he knew it was worth waiting for carts of new inventory to be brought to the showroom.
“Sometimes I spend a few hours waiting for the carts to come out,” he told Newsweek. “I find it's best to get them when they first come out because by the time they make it to the shelves, most good stuff is gone.”
“The plate was underneath a modern plate and three other people were digging on the cart with me,” he continued. “When everybody walked away from the cart, including me after we went through it, in the corner of my eye I noticed the plate was underneath a modern one.”
Carcerano then quickly took a photo of the plate using Google Lens and noticed that a similar version of the plate had been sold for $4,400, leading him to quickly make the purchase.
The thrifter then contacted specialists at various auction houses, including Sotheby's New York to verify the plate’s authenticity.
“The guy at Sotheby's is a Chinese export specialist — he identified it. I sent the plate information and detailed photos to Bonhams, they identified it. I also sent it to Leslie Hindman's located in Chicago,” Carcerano said.
According to Newsweek, the Sotheby’s specialist said the plate was specifically a “Chinese export armorial chamfered rectangular platter” from the Qing dynasty's Qianlong period from around 1775. The plate’s estimated value is between $4,000 and $6,000, he said.
He further verified the plate’s value by turning to Chinese antique porcelain Facebook groups, which also confirmed it was authentic. “What makes my plate stand out is the condition — it was never eaten on or used; no scratches, it's pristine,” Carcerano said.
Carcerano’s find comes just a few weeks after a woman in Texas negotiated a great deal for the Louis XVI marble-top buffet cabinet of her dreams, paying $3,200 for the furniture piece after the original buyer spent $22,500 on it.
However, what she didn’t know at the time was that something had been left inside one of its cabinets.
Upon opening, she discovered a stack of orange Hermès boxes and a long blue Tiffany & Co. box.
“Literally, no words,” the stunned shopper said in a TikTok. “So, this is a full set of Hermès China. Not to mention all of these plates are in perfect condition.”
