It looked like an ordinary wooden box, but inside, there was nothing less than hidden treasure.
One lucky thrift shopper posted photos of their dream secondhand find on the subreddit r/ThriftStoreHauls.
"Always look in the box!" they wrote. "Marked an old box at $4.49. Surprise inside!"
Their photos revealed the box's contents: a 50-piece complete set of vintage sterling silver plated flatware.
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"With coupon [just] $3.50!" they enthused.
Vintage flatware sets from this brand — which OP identified as Wm. Rogers — regularly retail for several hundred dollars online.
But for OP, there was even more value in holding onto the find. "The serving pieces are from the 30's and so beautiful cleaned up. I'm keeping those," they wrote.
"Beautiful condition!" one commenter said. "Even the lining is in good shape! Got to say, I'm a little jelly."
"Those are beautiful! Enjoy using them," another agreed.
Fellow thrift enthusiasts had encountered similar hidden treasures while shopping secondhand. "Many times I've found boxes that were sealed closed and probably donated that way. I think some employees don't make the effort to open the boxes up to see what's inside and just price them as though they were just a box," one person explained. "Good job OP! That is a beautiful set and you are definitely lucky!"
Stumbling across treasures like this one is just one of the many appeals of shopping secondhand. Thrifters have been known to find everything from vintage designer wedding dresses to necklaces studded with real gemstones, perfectly intact ice cream makers, and other unique finds on the shelves.
And while finding one-of-a-kind items is alluring, other shoppers are even more excited by finding affordable versions of high-quality brands, like Le Creuset cookware and KitchenAid mixers.
For many, another appeal of buying secondhand is the knowledge that it reduces their consumption footprints. Considering the fact that the average U.S. consumer throws away over 80 pounds of textiles per year — which adds up to a staggering 11.3 million tons of waste annually, per Earth.Org — keeping dollars out of the toxic fast-fashion industry is seen as a simple yet effective way to combat waste generation.
Thankfully, shoppers are catching on. RetailDive reported on research done by secondhand clothing reseller ThredUp, who projected "double-digit growth" for secondhand clothing markets in the next few years, both in the U.S. and globally.
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