I really need to start shopping at Goodwill stores.  They have great sales on $43,000 sweaters

 

Photo Courtesy Heritage Auctions
Photo Courtesy Heritage Auctions
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Sean McEvoy, bought this raggedy sweater from a North Carolina Goodwill for only fifty-eight cents back in June 2014.   He and his wife sell vintage clothing online.

In November Sean saw a documentary about legendary football coach Vince Lombardi. In the show there was a photo of Lombardi wearing a sweater that looked just like the one Sean bought.

 

Getty Images
Getty Images
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Sean told his wife and she remembered seeing a tag inside the sweater with a name written in ink.  That name was Lombardi.  (You think they would have noticed that first off).

 

Photo Courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Photo Courtesy of Heritage Auctions
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Sean told ESPN he called the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  They wanted him to donate it. Sean declined and took the sweater to Heritage Auctions in Dallas. Sean drove it there from North Carolina because he didn't trust the mail.

 

The sweater's value was estimated at 20 thousand dollars.  Saturday it sold.  The winning bid of $36,000 came in by phone. Adding a 19.5 percent buyer's premium brought the price up to $43,020.

 

So where did the sweater come from?  An update on the auction website states:

 Heritage has been contacted by the family of Bill Wannamaker...... his widow donated the Lombardi sweater to Goodwill. Wannamaker was a coach on the West Point staff with Vince Lombardi.....Heritage Auctions is pleased to donate the seller's commission of Lombardi's West Point sweater to Goodwill in memory of Bill Wannamaker, at the request of the Wannamaker family.

 

Goodwill will get almost $4,000.

 

Sean is keeping his take of $36,000. Quite a return for a fifty-eight cent investment!

 

 

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