Thrift shopping is currently trendier than ever, partly due to rising retail prices, but one secondhand shopper's recent discovery foregrounded the adventurous aspects of the hunt.

Newsweek spoke to Alexander, who had posted about finding what looked like an unassuming, old handheld vanity mirror on Reddit's r/ThriftStoreHauls.

"Found a reflecty silver thing from 1953," he stated, adding that he struggled to determine whether it was real silver.

"Every time I look at it, I get scared by the ugly guy on it," the poster joked.

Alexander attached three images of a mirror he bought at a Goodwill store in Reno. He told Newsweek that it instantly caught his eye because his wife collects vintage beauty gear like "old curlers, old blow dryers, old vanities, and old mirrors," but he also suspected it was valuable.

"As soon as I saw the silver handle, I knew it was either really old or a replica. I snatched it off the shelf, saw the patina of the silver, and knew it was really old," he told Newsweek.

After further inspection, Alexander realized the mirror was potentially worth more than even he realized. That's because an engraving on the back indicated it was made from Webster Sterling silver — one of the purest forms of the precious metal.

Auction data cited by Newsweek indicated the mirror's value to be anywhere between $75 and $200.

Shopping at thrift stores is a fantastic way to source items like the ones Alexander listed off, as vintage appliances and goods are typically only reliably available secondhand. But thrifting also offers innumerable benefits, from saving money to saving the planet.

Avid and casual thrifters alike have secured unbelievable discounts on high-end kitchenware, expensive appliances, and designer goods. Secondhand shoppers often find items unavailable in big-box stores, and it's not uncommon for thrifted products to contain hidden cash or jewelry.

What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores? Cheaper clothes 🤑 Trendier items 😎 Reduced environmental impact 🌎 I don't thrift 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Newsweek cited a recent Capital One Shopping survey that determined the average thrift shopper saves an impressive $2,071 each year by buying secondhand.

Moreover, overconsumption and fast fashion have coalesced to create a huge textile waste problem. By purchasing gently used items instead of new ones, shoppers signal a decline in demand for low-quality goods destined for the landfill.

Reddit's thrifting community weighed in on the poster's score.

"It was probably part of a vanity set. There could have been a matching brush and comb," one speculated.

"Great buy," another replied.

"It has a sterling mark, and that's what it is — 92.5% silver. That's Webster's arrow mark; Webster was an American maker that was swallowed up by Reed & Barton … in the early 50s," a third user explained. "Quite a nice find for 10 bucks."

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.