$3.99 thrift store vase auctioned for over $107,000

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A glass vase purchased for $3.99 from a Goodwill store in Virginia was auctioned for over $107,000 when it was found to be designed by Carlo Scarpa for famed Italian company Venini in 1942.

Jessica Vincent of Richmond, Va., said she and her partner were visiting their local Goodwill store, something they do multiple times a week, when the red and sea-foam green vase stood out to her.

"People tell me I have a good eye," Vincent told CNN. "You can put me in an aisle with a whole bunch of dollar store stuff and I can pick out the one item with a little bit of value."

Vincent bought the vase for $3.99 and took it home, where she took some photos of the vase and its writing and insignia to share online.

Members of her glassware Facebook group soon identified the piece as coming from Scarpa's "Pennellate" series, which he released while serving as the creative director of Venini.

The identification was verified by the Chicago-based Wright auction house and was valued at $30,000-$50,000. It ended up fetching a high bid of $107,100 from a European collector.

Vincent took home about $83,500 from the sale, while the auction house received about $23,600.

Vincent said the money will allow her to fix up a farm house she built in January. She said she was glad to see the vase find a good home.

"I knew I wanted to get it back in the art world. They didn't know it existed," Vincent told The New York Times. "I feel like I saved it from obscurity."