A curious thrifter thought he’d stumbled across a rock in his local Salvation Army, but when he asked for a closer look at the object, he was stunned by what he found.
Reddit user p—py took to social media to share the unexpected item he found while stopping by his local thrift store. He told Newsweek that he “skipped over it” at first because it just looked like a rock. It didn’t seem noteworthy, but since it was in a case, he thought it was worth checking out.
As an avid thrifter, u/p—py, who resides in Georgia, knows better than to pass up an item based on a first glance. He asked the cashier if he could see it properly, and to his amazement, it was no ordinary rock at all.
“It was in a case and in a bag, so it was hard to see clearly,” u/p—py said. “But the second time I saw it, I figured I would ask to see it because the one rule I have learned about thrifting is to always check something out even if it seems mundane.
“It was only after I had it in my hands that I could tell it wasn’t a rock and it had intentional markings and was metal,” he continued.
The small item is in fact a 2,200-year-old coin from the Roman Republic, dating from circa 225-217 BC, according to experts. It weighs less than 40 grams, but the Reddit user said that it’s “quite heavy for its size.” He has since been told by coin collectors that it could be worth up to $150—much more than the $3.99 he paid for it at the Salvation Army.
He posted photos of the thrifted coin on Reddit where it amazed internet users, leading to more than 1,800 votes at the time of writing. The caption alongside the post reads: “Didn’t know exactly what it was at the time, but it had heft to it and appeared to be old yet intentional. The two dots (that I now know are pellets) intrigued me and I figured for $3.99 I couldn’t go wrong.”
For now, the coin is perched perfectly on u/p—py’s bookshelf and he told Newsweek that he hopes it will serve as “a conversation piece.”
He continued: “This is certainly my oldest thrift find. It isn’t close to being my most valuable find, but it does have a wonderful history to it. Value can vary from coin to coin, but given the condition of this one, people familiar with coins agreed it would be worth around $150.”
Many people appreciated the little piece of history that u/p—py shared online, leading many to share their thoughts.
One comment reads: “It blows my mind that this coin survived the fall of the Roman Republic, the rise of the Empire, the Dark Ages, and two World Wars… just to end up being sold for $3.99.”
Another Reddit user wrote: “from the Roman Army to the Salvation Army…the irony.”
While another person replied: “What an eye you have. I wouldn’t know what it was. It looks like a burnt cookie.”
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