4 Valuable Things People Accidentally Donate, According to a Pro Thrift Shopper

After college, I worked briefly at a Goodwill online intake center and was absolutely stunned at some of the donations we received. Everything from very old coin collections to fine jewelry—you name it, we've seen it. While it’s true that Goodwill employees send the more valuable items to their online centers where they can get top dollar from auctions, there are still endless treasures to be found in stores.

But if you’re the one dropping off a bag of goodies, double-check to ensure you’re not getting rid of anything potentially valuable. On the other hand, if you’re the shopper, you have the exciting opportunity to score big. Ahead, I’m sharing some of the high-dollar items people sometimes donate without realizing their worth.

Precious Metals

In the jewelry department, we had testing kits to determine the carat if there was no hallmark. Most often, we would find a bunch of necklaces tangled together that had been carelessly tossed into a box; other times, entire jewelry boxes with their contents were donated. Then, there would be the occasional necklace or pair of earrings that got left in pockets or at the bottom of a purse.

Check jewelry for a stamp or hallmark notating the carat. If it doesn’t have a stamp but looks like gold or silver, it could have been polished off or made long before jewelry was stamped. To be sure, use a magnet. If the jewelry sticks to the magnet, it’s likely plated and not pure gold or silver.

Watches

It’s hard to believe this actually happens, but to prove it, check out this Rolex Submariner that’s currently listed on ShopGoodwill.com for sale. Appraised at $33,000, it’s difficult to come up with an actual scenario as to how this happened intentionally, but high-end, extremely valuable watches have found their way into the donation bin more than a few times.

When thrift shopping, keep your eyes peeled for brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Cartier, Breitling, Longines, Tudor, Zenith, Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova. Prices vary, but all of these watch names hold value and are collectible.  

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Precious Gemstones

Often mistaken for costume jewelry, diamond earrings and emerald brooches have made their way to the sales floor priced at next to nothing, only discernible to the trained collector. If you spot any bubbles in the stone, that’s a sign that it’s likely glass and not a true gemstone. To be sure, for just around $10, you can keep a gemstone tester in your bag and pull it out to test and confirm its value.

Valuable Artwork

Unless collectors have created a personal property memorandum, many family members might not be aware that they may be donating valuable works of art. I’m sure we all remember a few years ago when an antiques dealer in Texas found a 2000-year-old Roman bust at Goodwill for $35. While it’s rare to find a centuries-old piece of art, it’s pretty common to find collectible pieces.

If you’re looking for valuable art as an investment or for resale, your best bet is to use an application like Google Lens or Magnus to look up the piece found secondhand. From there, you can determine if the piece you’ve found is a print. If it’s an original, these applications can help you find the artist and the typical selling price.