Teen bought a Lakers jacket for $3 at a Goodwill. Then he learned it was worth a whole lot more

A teen bought a Lakers jacket for $3 at a Goodwill. Then he learned it was worth a whole lot more A teenage thrift shopper found an item that he says could set him up for an early retirement - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A thrifting teenager struck gold after finding a legendary basketball jacket that could earn him a quarter of a million dollars. Quinn Brown, 19, was browsing the bins at an Oregon Goodwill outlet in January when he came across a jacket that once belonged to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, Wilt Chamberlain, on sale for $3.07. Brown was already working as a full-time reseller, building a social media business off of finding desirable clothing in thrift stores. However, this find was beyond his wildest expectations, and he believes could set him up for an early retirement. The teen told WLBT: “none of us ever thought anything like this would happen. Especially for three dollars at a Goodwill.” He told the outlet that he spotted the piece when another customer put it down right in front of him. He then “immediately grabbed it.” Brown’s instincts were spot on, as the item turned out to be the jacket Chamberlain wore during the 1972 NBA Finals. He discovered its true nature after posting a photo of the jacket to Instagram, where it was spotted by Sotheby's. The auction house used an armored van to take the jacket to New York, where they used SIA Photo Match to confirm its authenticity. Chamberlain's NBA Finals jersey, which he wore under the jacket scouted by Brown, sold for $4.9 million at auction. The jacket is at auction until July 20. It is currently sitting at $12,000 and could reach as high as $250,000. The teen’s resale business is part of a thriving industry in America. Per Business Insider, the second-hand clothing market in the U.S. is growing four times as fast as the ordinary retail market, and is anticipated to be worth $79 billion by 2030. Although thousands of people are making a living off of repurposing thrift finds, there are several critics of this line of work. Thrift shops were opened as places for people to buy clothes at an extremely low budget, but now some critics are concerned that they are used by many as a base point for their resale operations. Daniel Burkett, a philosophy professor at Binghamton University told Business Insider that re-sellers need to be aware of who they could be taking clothes away from. He told the outlet: "If I go and buy a nice suit jacket and then I flip it for a $20 profit on eBay, look at the good that's bringing me, but then look at the good that might bring somebody who needs to go for a job interview.” Onney Crawley, Goodwill Industries International's chief marketing officer told Business Insider that Goodwill faces a challenge when it comes to ensuring that everybody has “a good experience,” but that ultimately resellers contribute “meaningfully” to their stores. Brown told WLBT that he is planning on saving the money from his jacket, and hopes to find similarly precious items again soon. He told WLBT: “It just takes consistency, to kinda learn what to look for.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] GOODWILL STORE goodwill Shop Local, gaadwill A Great Place To Shop 751 gaadwill 34869