Rare Italian Architect's Vase Sells for $107,100

A rare vase by an Italian architect recently sold at auction for $107,100 — even though at its previous sale, it went for just $3.99. The vase by Carlo Scarpa was sold by an individual named Jessica Vincent, who purchased it at a Goodwill store in Virginia.

To the untrained eye, the vase may seem like a normal glass piece with green and red streaks, but according to the Wright auction house, which facilitated the sale, it is one of the rarest pieces they've offered in over a decade. The vase is part of Scarpa's Pennellate series for Venini, produced in 1942.

The technique used to create the vase, known as "pennellate" (which means brushstroke), involves adding colored opaque glass while the piece is being blown. The complexity of crafting the pieces in this particular series resulted in a limited number of them being produced.

So, how did Jessica Vincent manage to acquire this highly-coveted vase for just a few dollars? While on her weekly thrifting trip in the Richmond, Virginia area, she spotted the vase and noticed the "Venini" signature on the bottom, which indicated its potential value.

Richard Wright, the president of the auction house, explained that the signature was a giveaway that the vase was expensive.

In a surprising turn of events, a valuable vase was recently discovered at a Goodwill store. The origins of the vase remain unknown, leaving room for speculation as to how it ended up at the thrift shop. It is possible that it was passed down in a family and somehow got misplaced or forgotten, leading to its donation to Goodwill.

The individual who found the vase, named Vincent, had a hunch that it was something special. She conducted research and even reached out to an Italian glass collecting Facebook group for advice. Eventually, she contacted an auction house with expertise in this area, who confirmed the value of the vase.

The auction house estimated the worth of the piece to be between $30,000 and $50,000. However, to everyone's delight, the vase sold for over $100,000.

"This glass vase has a well-documented history," said Wright, a representative from the auction house. "Carlo Scarpa, the designer, is highly regarded in the world of Italian glass from the midcentury period. His designs are highly valued by collectors."

This discovery is reminiscent of another incredible find at a thrift store, where a woman in Texas purchased a bust for just $34.99, only to later discover that it was an ancient artifact dating back 2,000 years.

The Journey of a Mysterious Bust

Laura Young stumbled upon an old and worn bust in 2018. Intrigued by its origins, she embarked on a yearslong quest to uncover its story. After much searching, she sought the expertise of Sotheby's consultant Jörg Deterling.

To Laura's amazement, Jörg Deterling was able to identify the bust as once being a part of a full-scale model of a house from Pompeii in Aschaffenburg, Germany.

The bust was then displayed at the San Antonio Museum of Art before being returned to its rightful home, the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces in Germany.