Thrift Store Win: Vintage Wallet Bought for $1 Sells for Thousands

When 29-year-old Chandler West from Carolina, USA, purchased an old wallet for just a dollar, she had no idea she was about to pocket thousands.

"I saw the wallet and thought it looked old but interesting," West shared with the media, now revealing that the wallet she bought for less than five dollars was actually set with 12 real diamonds.

She further explained that she bought it because she loves vintage items and often buys antiques to sell to collectors, who would obviously sell them for much more.

"I knew I was holding something special from the get-go," she excitedly recalled in a special video she shared on social media.

It indeed turned out special: West was unaware that her wallet was worth thousands due to the diamonds in it. "A jeweler I visited said he was willing to give me $4,000 for the wallet and told me it was an original 'Cartier' wallet, a very prestigious company back in the 1920s."

In the end, West decided not to sell the wallet for that price and instead tried her luck at an auction house. "I did some research on 'Cartier' and learned their items sold for tens of thousands in the past. I thought maybe I'd have better luck with my wallet at an auction house, and I was right. The auction house sold my wallet to a collector who paid $9,450 for it. Yay, I'm over the moon," she announced in a video that garnered 13 million views online and quickly went viral.