Man buys £3 charity shop ornament and is gobsmacked after finding out what it's worth

A lucky shopper found his bargain £3 purchase of an ornament could actually be worth over £900. The find has left Kyle Taylor, 26, thrilled as the stone mask could bring him a hefty sum of money should he look to sell the item. The legal assistant spotted the ornament in a local hospice charity shop and decided to purchase it.

While he thought the piece was originally for use in a garden, he snapped it up and later discovered it was a terracotta decoration which could net him just shy of £1,000. Similar ornaments to the handmade vintage item have fetched up to £957.97 online.

Kyle used a Google image search of the item when he got home to find out what exactly it was, and discovered the eye-watering price of it online.

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The Italian terracotta mask tea light sconce dates back to the 1960s, with the purchase made in York on July 29. Kyle has since shared his surprise at purchasing such a sought-after and expensive item.

He said: "I was shocked - I thought it was probably just something from B&Q or a garden centre. I was curious to find out which shop it might have come from, and what the metal backing was for.

"I used Google image search to find similar ones and looked at a number of others in the results. Some of them varied in price, style and age, but the one on the auction site is nearly identical to the one I have.

"I already loved it before I knew what it was, but I was reassured by my purchase. I always keep an eye out for antiques and furniture when in charity shops.

"Anything quirky or unusual. I don't usually go looking for anything in particular. I just like to browse, as you never know what you will find in a charity shop."

It comes as a separate charity shop find which cost a shopper just 75p was valued at £179. An unnamed customer who made the purchase realised the item could be a lot more valuable due to its weight.

Sharing their story, the customer confirmed a golden pendant had caught their eye while browsing. They said: "It felt too heavy to be $1. I put it on a silver chain, wore it some, and didn’t think much about it.

"The other day, I was selling other thrifted items and asked to test this piece.

"The guy immediately – and excitedly – offered me $240 (£179.90) after acid testing it and weighing it." Despite the offer, the shopper turned it down and has decided to keep the necklace.

The reason they said no to the £179.90 offer is because they would rather sell the item on to a collector. The necklace owner shared: "It’s too beautiful, and I’d rather it go to a collector if sold."