Incredible Goodwill Find

As a dealer, I have on many occasions purchased things from Goodwill, Salvation Army or other thrift stores to resell either at antiques and collectibles markets or through eBay.  Some of my nicest finds include a beautiful Royal Delft bowl, countless vintage Replogle globes and various collectible glass including Fenton vases, Murano bowls and Blenko candy dishes.  On many other occasions, I may have passed up other antiques, artifacts or collectibles that I may not have quickly recognized. As reported in a recent story from Buffalo, I probably would have walked right past their exciting find.

Seems a piece of antique pottery dating back at least a thousand years was donated and no one recognized it as such.  It was put up for auction with a price of $4.99 and received a couple of bids until someone actually recognized it for what it was; a historical Native American artifact that was taken from a burial site in Oklahoma.  Inside the vessel, a note was found that read, “found in a burial mound near Spiro Oklahoma in 1970.”  Goodwill has decided to return the vessel, which measures 7.5 inches tall, to the Caddo Indian Nation.