Bronze Sculpture is a Goodwill Store’s Second Stroke of Luck

Treasures keep turning up at a Goodwill store in Birmingham, Ala. In September, one shopper stumbled across a designer wedding dress that was a perfect fit at only $25. Recently, another shopper found a true work of art worth far more than what she paid.

Frank Fleming Bronze Magnolia Sculpture

Shannon Manthey was just walking out the door of the shop as closing time approached, the sight of a 24-inch bronze sculpture stopped her. It was in the shape of a magnolia branch, complete with a blossoming flower at the end, it had a beautiful blue-green patina, and, most exciting of all, it looked like the work of Frank Fleming. Even better, it had a signature confirming that it was.

That name might not be so widely recognized outside Alabama. Fleming (1940-2018) grew up, studied art, and worked in Alabama, and his 1974 exhibition at the Birmingham Museum of Art brought his work to the attention of the director of the Pace Gallery in New York. This led to national fame. His most famous work is probably the Storyteller Fountain in the Five Points South district of Birmingham, which features sculptures of a man with the head of an animal reading to a group of frogs, a wolf, and other animals you might find in fairy tales.

Storyteller Fountain, Birmingham, AL – Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

Manthey couldn’t pass up the magnolia sculpture, especially since it was priced at only $39.99. Having also bought a calla lily sculpture to keep for herself, she decided to use the magnolia sculpture for a fitting purpose: to raise money for a local attraction. She donated it to the Birmingham Zoo to auction for its Flamingo Flamboyance fundraising gala on Oct. 5. Valued at $2,000, the piece of art sold for $11,500.

Bought for $25, Goodwill Designer Wedding Dress Worth Over $6,000

What is a fashion label wedding dress doing at a Goodwill shop? Waiting for the perfect match to say yes to the dress, apparently.

Visiting thrift shops can turn a routine errand into a treasure hunt. Emmali Osterhoudt, a nursing student in Alabama, expected to find some inexpensive picture frames at a Goodwill store. She and her friends decided to look at dresses, and when she found a wedding dress with a $25 price tag, she had to try it on.

The dress fit Osterhoudt perfectly, and she loved the intricate lace, rhinestone, and pearl decorations. Even if she wasn’t planning to get married, the dress was too good a deal to pass up. It wasn’t until after she bought it that she looked up the name on the label. The dress is by Galia Lahav, an Israeli fashion label known for its couture bridal gowns and favored by celebrities like superstar singer Beyonce, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and former six-time UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Galia Lahav dresses usually cost at least $6,200, so Osterhoudt’s find was especially lucky!

Gala by Galia Lahav. Photo: Emmali Osterhoudt

Osterhoudt had to share her news, so she took to social media and posted a video on TikTok. Responses to the video inspired her to follow up. Viewers had plenty of questions about the dress, and some wondered how a gown like this would come to a thrift store.

What would make someone donate a couture wedding dress to Goodwill? Did a bride-to-be have a last-minute change of mind—or heart? Was she left at the altar? Was the donation part of the messy aftermath of a contentious divorce? Or maybe an attempt to escape a tragedy—or cover up a scandal? The real reason is nothing so dramatic. The dress was donated by Bustle, a bridal boutique in the area when it failed to sell. Staff at Bustle were pleased to hear that the dress found a buyer after all.

Emmali Osterhoudt in her Goodwill wedding dress by Galia Lahav. Photo: Emmali Osterhoudt

Priceless Roman Bust Found in Goodwill Store … in Texas?

Ever walk into a thrift store, dreaming of a million dollar find (and maybe a few decorative items)? Admit it. We all have rummaged through dusty stacks and questionable items with that thought in the back of our heads. It’s happened, after all! And now, a vintage dealer had lightning strike. But unlike others who have discovered priceless items, she will not receive a million-dollar payoff. And she’s OK with that. As a dealer, Laura Young was used to looking at — and evaluating — antiques and vintage items. In 2018, while at a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas, she was drawn to a large bust on the floor, under a table. The yellow tag slapped on the bust’s cheek read $34.99, so she bought it. “I got it outside in the light,” she was quoted as saying. “He had chips to the base. He had clear repairs. He looks old. I’ve been to museums. I’ve seen Roman portrait heads before.” Her instincts were right. The stern-looking gentleman turned out to be an actual Roman bust from the late first century B.C. or early first century A.D., which had been part of a Bavarian king’s art collection from the 19th century until it was looted during World War II. It was probably brought to Texas by a U.S. soldier after the king’s villa was bombed by Allies.

She contacted two auction houses, Bonhams and Sotheby’s, both of which confirmed that her hunch was right: The bust was from ancient Rome. The bad news is that Young cannot keep the bust, believed to be either a son of Pompey the Great, or Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus. She can’t sell it either. It belongs to the Bavarian government.

At Young’s request, the San Antonio Museum of Art will display the bust until May 2023. After that, it will be returned to the Bavarian government.

Young, who may be receiving an undisclosed finder’s fee, will have one other acknowledgment of her thrift-shoppers dream discovery. There will be a notation of her involvement with its return to museum status, rather than being stuffed for posterity under a table at a Goodwill store, or in a Texas garden as a lawn ornament.