A man bought a $1.50 clutch from a thrift store around 2018 or 2019 and recently discovered it was actually a Cartier Art Deco piece valued at about $35,000 on PBS's Antiques Roadshow. Jewelry specialist Katherine Van Dell identified the bag as an "absolutely exquisite" purse made with carved rock crystal, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and old European cut diamonds set in platinum. Inside the clutch, the Cartier name was printed in gold, confirming its authenticity from the 1920s Art Deco period.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A man who spent just $1.50 on a clutch bag at a thrift store discovered years later that his inexpensive find was actually a Cartier Art Deco piece valued at about $35,000.
asserted
find → spend → 35,000
The unnamed buyer brought the bright orange velvet clutch to an episode of PBS's 'Antiques Roadshow', where it was examined by jewellery specialist Katherine Van Dell.
asserted
it → bring → Dell
He told her that he had bought the bag in either 2018 or 2019 simply because he liked the way it looked.
asserted
it → tell → way
"I thought it was pretty," he said when asked why he had picked it up.
asserted
he → think → it
At the time, there was little reason for him to think that the $1.50 purchase could be worth thousands of dollars.
uncertain
purchase → be → dollars
But Van Dell quickly noticed that the clutch was far from an ordinary thrift-store find.
asserted
clutch → notice → find
She described it as an "absolutely exquisite Art Deco purse" and began examining the decoration on its front flap.
asserted
She → describe → flap
What initially looked like a colourful ornamental design was made from valuable materials and showed characteristics associated with fine jewellery from the Art Deco period.
asserted
looked → look → period
Precious stones reveal first clues
asserted
stones → reveal → clues
Van Dell explained that the decoration on the front of the purse was made using "carved rock crystal, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and old European cut diamonds", along with platinum.
asserted
decoration → explain → platinum
The stones were arranged to resemble a small container filled with flowers.
asserted
stones → arrange → flowers
Van Dell described the design as "giardinetto", an Italian term meaning "little garden".
asserted
Dell → describe → garden
Another important clue came from the way the small coloured stones had been carved and arranged.
asserted
stones → come → way
Van Dell identified the style as "tutti frutti", a design associated with colourful combinations of carved gemstones.
asserted
Dell → identify → gemstones
While similar designs can also be seen in costume jewellery, Van Dell explained that the style was pioneered in fine jewellery by Cartier during the Art Deco period, although it was known by different names at the time.
asserted
it → see → time
That raised the possibility that the purse could have been made by the French luxury jewellery house.
uncertain
purse → raise → house
The answer became clearer when Van Dell opened the clutch.
asserted
Dell → become → clutch
Cartier name found inside clutch
Inside the bag, 'Cartier' was printed in gold on the lining.
asserted
Cartier → find → lining
Van Dell said she suspected the piece was Cartier France.
asserted
piece → say → ?
According to Antiques Roadshow, the clutch was likely made in the 1920s.
uncertain
clutch → accord → 1920s
The combination of its Art Deco design, precious stones, platinum construction and Cartier identification turned the thrift-store purchase into a much more valuable object than its owner had expected.
asserted
owner → turn → object
Before hearing Van Dell's valuation, the buyer said he had hoped the purse might be worth $2,000 or $3,000.
uncertain
purse → hear → valuation
Even that would have represented a huge return on the $1.50 he had paid for it.
asserted
he → represent → it
And that's fair market value," Van Dell told him.
asserted
Dell → tell → him
The buyer appeared stunned by the figure and became emotional as he took in the appraisal.
asserted
he → appear → appraisal
Van Dell praised his incredible eye for spotting the clutch at the thrift store in the first place.
asserted
Dell → praise → place
She also said the piece could carry a much higher figure for insurance purposes.
uncertain
piece → say → purposes
According to Parade's account of the appraisal, Van Dell said the Cartier clutch could easily be insured for more than $100,000.
uncertain
clutch → accord → 100,000
The $35,000 surprise
The difference between what the man paid and the appraisal was striking.
asserted
man → pay → what
A purchase made for just $1.50 because he found the bag attractive had turned out to be an Art Deco Cartier piece with a fair market value of about $35,000.
asserted
bag → make → 35,000
The appraisal did not involve an auction sale, meaning the $35,000 figure was Van Dell's assessment of its fair market value rather than a price the owner had actually received for the clutch.
asserted
owner → involve → clutch
The insurance figure was also separate from its estimated market value.
asserted
figure → estimate → value
The episode was filmed at Grant's Farm in St Louis, Missouri, and aired on May 11, 2026.
uncertain
episode → film → May
The appraisal later drew attention online after Antiques Roadshow shared a video of the exchange, Parade Magazine reported.
asserted
Magazine → draw → exchange
Viewers reacted to the buyer's emotional response after learning how much his thrift-store purchase could be worth.
uncertain
purchase → react → response
One viewer wrote, "He teared up knowing that $35k is life-changing for him.
asserted
35k → write → him
Others said they were happy for the buyer, with another commenter saying, "Looks like this happened to the right person."
asserted
this → say → person
The Aporia
