A woman in Georgia was “beyond shocked” after reaching inside the pocket of a thrifted purse to find something that has already changed her life for the better.
Erin Calkins from Atlanta wasn’t even planning on buying a purse when she went to the local Goodwill that day. “We were looking for a white button down for my husband to wear to a wedding,” she told Newsweek. “I saw the purse, and it was in a style that I liked.”
If certain people had got things their way, she may not have purchased it though. “My husband reminded me that I didn’t need any more purses,” Calkins said. “I got it anyway. It was only $8 after all.”
Sometimes the thrift store gods smile upon you. Newsweek has reported on countless examples of shoppers bagging once-in-a-lifetime finds thanks to little more than being in the right place at the right time.
Calkins’s story has an element of that. For one thing it was fortuitous that they even ended up in that particular Goodwill store. “That was the second Goodwill we went to that day, the first one didn’t have any shirts for my husband,” she said. “So we went to another one in a nicer, richer area.”
Clothing and apparel make up a significant proportion of thrift store sales in the U.S. According to data compiled by Capital One Shopping, around one third of clothing and apparel purchased in the U.S. over the past year was secondhand.
These items may give individuals the opportunity to make discount purchases but it’s rare for those buying to turn a profit on what they take home. Calkins’s purse was unique though. While the item itself was not valuable, something hidden within proved very much so.
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Yet it would take a while before she would realize it. A few weeks in fact. That was how long it took for her to find what was hiding inside the purse.
“I placed my keys in one of the outside pockets of the purse while shopping,” she said. “When I was heading towards my car, I couldn’t find the keys. It was then I noticed that there was a hole in the internal lining of the purse. While digging my hand through that hole, I found the bracelet.”
At first glance, it looked as though Calkins had uncovered a 14k white gold bracelet hidden within the purse. She was stunned but eager to get her discovery verified. “I was cautiously hopeful,” she said. “I was excited, but I didn’t want to fully believe that what I found was a real diamond bracelet.”
Calkins took the piece to an estate jeweler who confirmed it was a diamond tennis bracelet. “I was beyond shocked,” Calkins said. The jeweler made her an offer on the spot: $1,200 for the piece. Given that the purse had cost just $8 she was happy to take it on the spot. The cash was much needed.
“The bracelet came at a very serendipitous time,” Calkins said. “I had recently totaled my car, and was in the market for a new one. So it was the best kind of surprise.”
Eager to show-off her find, Calkins took to Reddit, posting as u/AliensAbductingCows, to share what she had found. The post got a significant response, with many praising her business savvy while others wondered whether she might have been able to get more for the piece. Calkins is just happy to have found it. “It is definitely the best thrift store find I have ever had,” she said.
