How a student’s $10 thrift store find earned him almost $3,500 after listing the item online
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We’ve all had that moment where we find something at a charity shop or garage sale and think, “This could be worth a lot of money one day.” But it’s not often that our hunch turns out to be correct.
That’s what makes Terrelle Brown’s story so incredible. The US-based student found an ashtray featuring an illustration of a girl in a yellow dress smoking by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara at Goodwill – and managed to sell it on eBay for an astonishing $US2,408.98 ($A3,437).
Nara's illustrations, while they may look sweet at first glance, often have a dark or disturbing undertone. The image of the child smoking a cigarette is a perfect example of this.
The piece sold for almost $3,500 on eBay despite the fact that the student only purchased it at a charity store for $10. Credit: TikTok/@tdotbdot.
While some may see this as an innocent image of a child enjoying a cigarette, others may find it unsettling. It's this ambiguity that makes Nara's work so fascinating, hence, its popularity among art collectors.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Terrelle said he initially paid just $10 for the item, which he admits he “didn’t know too much about”.
He only did some research on it after a friend told him it looked like a piece by the 62-year-old Japanese artist Nara, and when he discovered how much the artist’s work was selling for, he decided to list it on eBay.
The student admitted that he might "regret this one in a few years” but still proceeded to sell the item on the e-commerce platform.
He recalled that he was in class when he received a notification confirming that the ashtray was indeed a Nara piece called "Too Young to Die" and was created in 2002.
What's more shocking is that the piece sold for thousands of dollars.
He said: “Found an ashtray for $10 at Goodwill six months ago and got this notification in the middle of class."
“Goodbye friend, I wish I could keep you.”
Art collectors were said to be on the lookout for the piece as it was said to be worth upwards of $A5,300.
Terelle said that he was at a class when he got notified that someone bought the piece for $3,437. Credit: TikTok/@tdotbdot.
Terelle runs his own thrift store via TikTok, sourcing vintage items, particularly clothing, from charity stores. He has an eye for the unique and the valuable, and his Nara find is no exception.
During one of his many shops, he noticed the ashtray in its original packaging sitting in a locked glass cabinet. He knew he had to have it.
"I was shaking with excitement because I knew the potential of it. I hopped in the car and started looking at eBay prices, and I was like, ‘This is unreal’,” he recalled.
Terelle's video has gone viral, racking up more than 1.7 million views, with many users commenting about how "jealous" they are with his "lucky" find.
One person wrote: “Manifesting this energy for myself."
“An amazing piece. Hopefully goes to the right hands,” another said.
A third chimed in: “Oh my god I’ve never been more jealous in my life.”
“Nah better to sell when you can and enjoy the money. No point in holding for some clout,” added another.
Another comment read: "I would’ve kept it, it’s such a cool and unique piece. I love Nara.”
“I’ve wanted that ashtray for years but I absolutely can not afford it,” another one said.
What are your thoughts on this? Would you keep the piece for yourself or sell it like Terelle did? Let us know your opinions in the comments below, and what your best ever find in a salvos or vinnies was!
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