US man buys ‘pristine’ plate for ₹415, later finds out it's worth ₹3.8 lakh: ‘When everybody walked away’

A man struck gold at a thrift store after purchasing a plate for just ₹415, only to find out that it was a rare 18th-century artefact worth over ₹3.66 lakh.

A remarkable thrift store find in the US turned into a lucrative discovery for an Illinois man, John Carcerano, a carpet cleaner, who bought a plate for just $4.99 (about ₹415), only to later learn it was a rare 18th-century Chinese artefact valued at over ₹3.66 lakh, reported the New York Post.

John Carcerano was browsing through items at a Goodwill store when he spotted the plate. (X/@Duy_Turkiye)

Carcerano was browsing through items at a Goodwill store when he spotted the plate, which was initially hidden under a modern one. Using Google Lens, he quickly identified the item and realised its potential value. A similar plate had recently been sold for $4,400 (around ₹3.66 lakh), prompting him to purchase it immediately.

“I knew within five minutes that I had something valuable,” Carcerano told Newsweek. “Only two of these have ever sold in the last 50 years of auction history.”

A seasoned thrifter with 35 years of experience in buying and selling antiques, Carcerano found the plate while searching through a cart alongside three other people. “When everybody walked away from the cart, including me after we went through it, in the corner of my eye I noticed the plate was underneath a modern one,” he recalled.

Experts verified

To verify its authenticity, he took the plate to several auction houses, including Sotheby’s in New York. Experts there confirmed that it was a “Chinese export armorial chamfered rectangular platter” from the Qing dynasty’s Qianlong period, dating back to around 1775. Bonhams and Leslie Hindman’s in Chicago also authenticated the plate, estimating its value between $4,000 and $6,000 ( ₹3.33 lakh to ₹5 lakh).

Carcerano also consulted antique Chinese porcelain groups on Facebook, where he received further confirmation of its rarity. “What makes my plate stand out is the condition—it was never eaten on or used; no scratches. It’s pristine,” he said.

His extensive knowledge and experience in thrifting played a crucial role in this discovery. “Sometimes I spend a few hours waiting for the carts to come out,” he explained. “I find it’s best to get them when they first come out because by the time they make it to the shelves, most good stuff is gone.”