A woman in Italy struck gold at a local flea market when she uncovered a Tiffany & Co. plate worth up to $84 for just $3.
Constanza (u/Due-Hovercraft977), a 22-year-old medical student from Paraguay studying in Padua, Italy, is an avid secondhand shopper who has been collecting nature-themed ceramics for the past year.
Last Sunday, Constanza stumbled upon a pink Majolica sunflower plate at a local market and shared her find in the subreddit “cottagecore,” where it garnered over 1,300 upvotes. “The plate was being sold by someone that seemed to empty garages for a living, it was buried in a pile of other ceramic things along with a second plate almost identical to it,” Constanza told Newsweek.
“I was a bit skeptical when I first found it because it’s unlikely that someone would throw away a valuable plate, but I bought it regardless because it’s pretty, even if it didn’t end up being legit.”
After returning home and researching the item, Constanza discovered the plate could be worth up to $84 [converted from 80 euros]. “Considering I paid 6€ for the pair, it’s not bad at all. many people are interested in buying it right now,” she added.
Constanza regularly thrifts at secondhand markets, primarily in Italy, and has built a collection of fruit-, vegetable- and flower-themed ceramics. While she keeps most of her finds, she occasionally resells items that don’t fit her collection or are duplicates.
This was Constanza’s first time discovering a “designer” piece, as she typically comes across niche brands such as Bordallo Pinheiro or generic “made in Italy” ceramics.
Through her research, Constanza has determined that most of her pieces originate from Italy, dating between the 1960s and 1980s, though she sometimes finds Portuguese or French items. Despite reaching out to other collectors, she has yet to find many people with a similar interest in nature-themed ceramics.
She also values secondhand shopping as a sustainable way to reduce waste. “You wouldn’t believe how many nice things are laying around if you just know where to look,” she said.
A set of 39 plates featuring the sunflower design from the collection of New York City hostess Alice Mason was sold at Doyle Auctions in New York for $3,520. Additionally, an orange version of the plate is currently listed on eBay for $83.94.
Reddit users were enamored with Constanza’s discovery. “Oh, how pretty, I’m so jealous lol [laugh out loud]!” wrote one user.
“Stunning,” commented another.
“Beautiful! What a gorgeous find,” a third Reddit user added.
Do you have any amazing thrifting finds that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
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