Virginia horse trainer Jessica Vincent got a hefty Christmas bonus after she snagged a pretty $3.99 vase off the Goodwill shelf.
She later learned that the Murano vase was made by legendary Italian glass designer Carlo Scarpa as part of a series called “Pennellate” in the 1940s. It was sold at auction on December 15 for the lowest price of $85,000. With the buyer’s premium, the total price was $107,100. Vincent earned about $83,000 from that.
“It was the frugal equivalent of winning the lottery,” Vincent, 42, tells PEOPLE. “I read about these things all the time, but I thought, ‘Could I really just buy a masterpiece at Goodwill?’”
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Carlo Scarpa A rare vase in the shape of a brush.
Courtesy of Jessica Vincent
Vincent, whose story was also covered by the Associated Press, was doing her usual thrifting with her partner Naza Acosta last June after a day of horse training. In her search of the store, she came across a glass vase among the cluttered piles of old kitchen utensils and canning jars.
“I picked it up and I could tell it was blown glass and it just had a beautiful topping,” says Vincent. “When I got close to him, I knew he was coming home with me.”
She saw a mark on the bottom of the glass with Murano and Italy stamped on it.
It didn’t have a price tag, but she said she would buy it even if it was expensive. Luckily for her, the clerk said it was only $3.99.
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Jessica Vincent and her partner Naza Acosta at her horse farm in VA.
Courtesy of Jessica Vincent
When she returned home, Vincent posted the photos in her Facebook groups and accepted a suggestion to join a private Murano glass group. There it was established that it was manufactured by the renowned glass company Venini, and that it was designed by Scarpa, who died in 1979.
She says she shuddered when a Facebook member told her: “Those are very rare. Every collector would love to have that. But most people can’t afford them.”
She was referred to Richard Wright, president of Wright Auction House in Chicago, and contacted him by email. Wright then got on the phone with Vincent.
“I realized it’s probably pretty special when the CEO of an auction house wants to talk to you,” says Vincent. “He was just telling me how incredibly rare they were and what color it was and what shape it was in. I think they only know of one other one in those colors.”
Vincent says she would like to keep the vase, but she needed the money. Plus, once she realized the value, she was nervous about it being out there. She quickly put it in a box and wrapped it because she was afraid that it would crumble or break.
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“I was stressed about having it in my little 1930s farmhouse,” says Vincent. “I just bought a farm and everything needs fixing. I don’t even have heating.”
It made sense, she said, to send him back to the art world. As for the windfall, she already has plans to heat her home and buy a dishwasher. She also works with rescue horses and plans to put some money into that as well.
“I feel like I saved the vase and the vase saved me,” says Vincent.
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