Thrift shopper does a double-take after noticing price tag on 'piece of history': '[Should] fetch at least $5K'

You might find a more valuable item at a thrift store, but it's pretty unlikely you'd find one more historic than an item a thrifter scooped up for a single dollar.

They shared a note from Winston Churchill to the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit and wrote in the caption that it came from a Northern Westchester County, NY, store.

The post included a photo of the framed note, featuring an envelope dated April 1955 along with a message from Churchill himself.

The letter reads, "Thank you so much for your kind message. it gave me much pleasure."

Churchill signed the letter and dated it April 1955. Scooping up the seven-decade-old letter had an appropriate effect on the lucky thrifter.

"Finding this for a dollar gave me much pleasure yesterday," they wrote. 

Thrifters were also enjoying the find.

"What a neat piece of history you found," one remarked.

A different Redditor was seeing dollar signs in the OP's find. They said they worked at an antique bookstore geared towards Churchill's books and collections.

"At the time, anything with Churchill signature would fetch at least $5K," they wrote. "You gotta authenticate and appraise this."

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The OP's experience highlights the potential of thrift stores to offer all sorts of finds, including valuable historical items. While this was more suited for a collector or someone looking to cash in, thrifting can be a great way to save money on items like clothing, cookware, and appliances.

Beyond saving money and unearthing valuable or rare items, thrifting is beneficial for the environment. It keeps items from heading to the landfill, where they can generate methane, a potent gas. For goods like clothing or household goods, it helps lower the need for production and shipping of new products.

For the OP, it seemed like they were content for now to display and learn more about the letter. A Redditor directed them to see if Tufts University could help them uncover more, as the previous college recipient was now a part of the Boston-area university.

The OP revealed their own plans to connect with a framer and hang it in their library.

"I think you won," a user concluded. "You found the ultimate thrift store haul."

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