Shopper picks up $40 jacket at a sale. Turns out, it belonged to an iconic TV star and was worth way more
All that shines isn't gold but sometimes things that don't shine turn out to be worth more than gold. This is what people realize when they find luxury items, artifacts, rare collectibles and more at thrift stores. A woman bought a simple-looking coat at an estate sale, which she thought belonged to an actor. The woman took the coat to the PBS Antiques Roadshow to see if she got lucky. Turns out the coat was estimated to be 350 times more than what she paid, according to Timothy Gordon, appraisal expert of the show.
Here's the incredible appraisal story
Back in 2016, a segment of the Antiques Roadshow was based in Palm Springs, Florida. There was a woman who shopped at an estate sale in Malibu, California, and brought a special coat to be evaluated. The woman said that the sale was at famous actor Carol O'Connor's.
The shopper revealed that she believed O'Connor wore the coat on the hit show "All in the Family," while playing the famous character of Archie Bunker. The woman then shared that when she got to the sale, she went upstairs to the master bedroom. There she found a closet filled with men's clothes and among them was the coat. It was in great condition. She asked the estate host, who was O'Connor's daughter-in-law, about the coat.
"These couldn't possibly be your father-in-law's clothes," she recalls saying to the estate sale host. She said the daughter-in-law responded that they were, in fact, the actor's clothes, as her mother-in-law rarely threw things out.
The woman recognized the coat that Archie wore in several episodes by the American flag pin on the lapel. She said she bought it as a gift for her dad who is a big fan of the show. Gordon then asks her how much did she buy the coat for. She says she got it for just $40.
The show, "All in the Family" still remains one of the most influential TV shows in American history. Gordon says that the show broke all kinds of stereotypes at the time and challenged social constructs with humor.
Gordon then notes that the coat was still in great condition and it appeared the same as the one O'Connor wore in the show, pointing to the photographs that the woman had brought.
He added that the jacket was not a costume-made piece but a purchased one. He suspected that there may have been one or two more such coats for backup. "But this was Archie Bunker's and Carroll O'Connor took it home," the appraiser then noted.
He assessed that the vintage jacket was in great condition and called it "an iconic" item. He then said that he believed the jacket would go for up to $15,000 at an auction. Hearing this, the woman's jaw drops in disbelief.
The appraisal expert says that for insurance purposes, his valuation of the jacket would be a whopping $20,000. "You are kidding me!" responded the shocked owner. This shouldn't have been a surprise, as the coat featured in one of the best American television series.
