23 people who discovered that their junk was actually worth a fortune

Lia Ryerson,Frank OlitoAug 8, 2020, 19:26 IST

The missing chess piece is now worth over $1 million.Andrew Milligan - PA Images/ Getty

Some people are in possession of fortunes without even realizing it.
A man found an old Nintendo video game in the attic of his childhood home and later sold it for $9,000.
One person found an old pair of Air Jordan sneakers, only to learn that they were worn and signed by the NBA star himself.
A mother gave her daughter a cheap brooch, but it turned out to be a $5,000 royal gem.

Everyone loves a rags to riches story, but for some unsuspecting people, proverbial "rags" actually ended up being worth millions — and they almost didn't realize it.

From the farmer using a $100,000 meteor as a doorstop to the guy who unknowingly bought an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, these people can testify that one man's trash is truly another's treasure.

A bottle of cognac sitting in a cellar turned out to be one of the oldest bottles of the drink and worth nearly $150,000.

Vintage bottles of cognac. GEORGES GOBET / Getty

A woman learned that a painting she had hanging in her kitchen for years was worth $26.8 million.

The painting, "Christ Mocked." Charles Platiau/Reuters

A man found an old Nintendo video game in the attic of his childhood home, and it sold for $9,000.

The video game could be worth a lot of money. Michel Nglien/ Getty

A British family learned that a chess piece that sat in their home for years was actually worth $1.2 million.

The missing piece is worth a million dollars. Tristan Fewings/ Getty

A man found items that once belonged to former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a garbage dump. They turned out to be worth over $13,000.

Winston Churchill's belongings on "Antiques Roadshow." Youtube/ BBC

A long-lost painting found tucked away in a French attic has an estimated value of up to $171 million.

"Judith Beheading Holofernes" by Caravaggio. Giuseppe Cacae/ Getty

A woman bought a ring for $13 in the '80s, and 30 years later she learned that it's actually worth over $800,000.

Diamond ring worth thousands of dollars. ODN/ YouTube

A pair of sneakers found in an abandoned mall turned out to be Michael Jordan's old shoes and are said to be worth $20,000.

The shoes could be worth $20,000. Chance Yeh/ Getty

A man discovered his doorstop was actually a meteorite worth $100,000.

A meteorite in Germany (not the one in question). picture alliance / Getty

This woman didn't realize that the plate she had hanging over her oven was designed by Picasso.

The plate was covered in grease. Screenshot via Antiques Roadshow PBS/YouTube

One man became a millionaire after accidentally purchasing an original copy of the Declaration of Independence at a flea market.

The Declaration of Independence. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images

A duo found a treasure trove of classic cars in a 100-year-old barn.

The cars had been tucked away for at least 50 years. Artcurial

A superstitious fisherman discovered he was accidentally hoarding world's largest natural pearl under his bed.

Must have been one big clam. Puerto Princesa Tourism Office/EPA

NASA accidentally auctioned off a priceless Apollo 11 artifact to a woman named Nancy from Chicago — and they only got $995.

The moon landing. NASA/ AP

A girl mistakenly thought her $7 frame was more valuable than the Renoir painting inside of it.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

This man picked up a sketch by Andy Warhol at a garage sale.

The sketch is in Andy Warhol's pre-pop art style. YouTube/Andy Fields

A bargain hunter thought the genuine Picasso painting he found was just a really good replica.

Pablo Picasso. George Stroud/Getty Images

A man used an incredibly valuable painting to cover up a hole in his wall without even realizing what he had in his possession.

"Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth." Heritage Images / Getty

A collector stumbled upon a photo of Billy the Kid playing a leisurely game of croquet — and found out it's worth $5 million.

Only two confirmed photos of Billy the Kid exist. Kagin's

And this man bought a 19th-century photograph on eBay for just $13 without realizing that it was actually an extremely rare portrait of infamous outlaw Jesse James.

A photo of Jesse James. Kean Collection / Getty

A woman gifted her daughter a brooch that turned out to be a bona fide royal gem.

Fit for a queen. Purino/Shutterstock

This man was down on his luck — until it was revealed that his old blanket was a one-of-a-kind heirloom worth $1.5 million.

A Navajo blanket from the 1800s. JohnMoranAuctions/YouTube

Fast-food lovers who held on to their old packets of the discontinued McDonald's Szechuan sauce experienced a windfall in 2017.

This jug of discontinued McDonald's Szechuan sauce sold for $15,350. dark_falcon/eBay

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