Man Gifted Belt Buckle at Yard Sale, Stunned To Find Out What It’s Worth
A Tennessee man was stunned to discover how much a belt buckle randomly gifted to him at a friend's yard sale could be worth.
They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure and nowhere is that more true than at a yard sale. In fact, picking up the right find at one of these clearouts can sometimes leave the eagle-eyed buyer feeling rather flush.
A study conducted by Signs.com found that the average profit margin on items purchased at yard sales and later resold on eBay was a staggering 462 percent.
That might sound like a wild statistic but Cletus, who asked not to be fully named for this story, is proof of just how easy it can be to stumble on something worth a significant amount at one of these sales.
A couple of months back he was visiting his friend's home during a yard sale when he was quite literally handed something entirely unexpected.
"He was having the yard sale and I had just bought something," he told Newsweek. "He was just like 'here man take this' and handed something to me."
Cletus can still recall how his friend "picked it up, looked at it and handed it to me" with the express instruction to "keep it." That's exactly what he did. In fact, Cletus all but forgot about the buckle, despite its distinctive turquoise stones and the presence of the name J. Nezzie on the back.
"I didn't look it up for three weeks because it never occurred to me that it could be old," he said.
It was only after a Google image search and appeal for help on Reddit, where Cletus posted about the buckle under the handle u/Wild-Squash-9905 that he discovered what he was holding was potentially of significant value.
Based on his own research and that of his fellow enthusiasts online, Cletus now believes he's been gifted a Navajo Signed J Nezzie Sterling Silver Large Morenci Turquoise Coral Chip Inlay Belt Buckle.
J Nezzie, or Jimmie Nezzie to give him his full name, was a Navajo artisan who was active in the 1970s. The presence of his name suggests it is a first generation piece and, if found to be a bespoke one-off, could be worth a considerable amount.
"I haven't gotten it appraised just yet as I've been too lazy to but buckles by Nezzie are going anywhere from $50 to $1,000 or more," Cletus said.
Those he turned to for help on Reddit certainly think the piece could be worth at least a couple of hundred dollars if not more. "Beautiful find," one wrote. "You scored big time," another added. "The yard sale gods do sometimes smile," a third concluded.
Cletus has been left stunned by what's happened. "It was complete dumb luck," he said.
To his credit, he said he has tried to do the honorable thing too. "When I found out how much it was worth, I immediately told my friend because we are all struggling," he said. "They told me to keep it."
It has made him wonder if there were other treasures he missed out on at the yard sale though and that his friend may even be in possession of other potentially valuable pieces.
"They might have more because it was my buddy's uncle's before he passed and he had a whole collection of Navajo stuff from what I was told," he said.
For now though the plan is to get in touch with an antique dealer and find out exactly how much the piece is worth. Then Cletus plans on cashing in.
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This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 4:20 AM