With spring in full stride and summer on deck, yard and garage sales will become a familiar sight in the Commonwealth. After finding treasures worth thousands of dollars, one Kentucky man is advising everyone to keep a sharp eye out.
Chris Kidney is a hobbyist thrifter. He said it took him three years of thrifting to find his first big-ticket item in the Morehead Goodwill book section of all places.
“When I went back there, I found a 1948 Pittsburgh Pirates by Putnam and I opened up the book cover of it and it said, 'Best Wishes, Stan Rojek - Honus Wagner’,” said Kidney. “And for the many people who don’t know Honus Wagner was an incredible baseball player.”
Kidney took the book home for $1.59, had the Wagner signature authenticated and eventually sold the book for more than $100,000. Not to be stopped there, a few weeks later Kidney found another autographed book at a Morehead yard sale that he said sold for over $10,000. He has some advice for anyone who wants to mimic his success.
“I always look for regular yard sales, estate sales, and I definitely look at Goodwill. Just don’t give up. And you know, if you don’t have a lot of time to go look at those items, then I would say just don’t go. Because a lot of these need more than just five seconds of looking through,” said Kidney.
He recommended anyone considering donating or selling their belongings first go through it all to check for value. He said anyone looking to find their own high dollar item by thrifting should be patient and not give up the search.