🖊️ 8—Flea Market Legends

TREASURES

News | Tools | [ LISTS ] | Map | [ Info ]

✩ Money Makers ✩

█ A-Z // Fortunes Found 🔗 - [ i ]

Flea Markets — 8 Finds, $16 Million

Hidden Treasures in Everyday Places

This list serves as a compact archive of modern flea market treasure history — a quick reference for journalists, researchers, and enthusiasts. It highlights how high-value items continue to surface in the most ordinary places.

A few legendary examples from the list below:

$5 million for a historic photo
$2.7 million for 'costume' jewelry
$700,000 for a Chinese bowl

Overlooked for years, these surprising discoveries reveal how valuable treasures can be — even when hiding in plain sight.

Explore the full list below the ad ☟
Related: Treasure Lists across all categories 🔗

Vintage treasure-hunt advertising in retro cityscape.

8—Legendary Finds

1. Hidden Treasure—$7 Million for Historic US Declaration of Independence Found in $4 Flea Market Painting Frame

📰 📅 2023 Report: In the United States, a priceless original copy of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 was discovered—folded behind a painting purchased for $4 at a flea market. Initially attracted by the frame, the buyer uncovered the document hidden within the painting’s backing. This rare find, one of only 25 known original copies, fetched $2.2 million at a 1991 auction and $7.4 million at a 2000 auction—underscoring its significant historical value and rarity.

█ Full story and image: 🔗 IFL Science

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Book & Script

2. Flea Market Fortune—$5 Million+ for Billy the Kid Photo Found in U.S.

📰 📽️ 📅 2017 Report: In North Carolina, USA, a defense attorney bought a 19th-century tintype at a flea market for $10, later identified as an image of Billy the Kid with lawman Pat Garrett. Experts confirmed its authenticity, and comparisons suggest its value may exceed $5 million. The photo's origins remain a mystery.

█ Full story and image: 🔗 Smithsonian Magazine

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Camera & Photo

3. Diamond Dazzler—$2.7 Million for Flea Market Find Nearly Discarded as Costume Jewelry

📰 📅 2021 Report: In Northumberland, England, a 34-carat diamond—initially mistaken for costume jewelry and nearly discarded—was discovered during a home cleaning. The owner, a woman in her 70s, had purchased the gem at a flea market. Valued at $2.7 million, the stone was reportedly sold in a private sale for an undisclosed amount, as noted in a later BBC story.

█ Full story and images: 🔗 Robb Report

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Jewelry

4. Diamond Delight—$848,000 for $13 Ring Found at UK Flea Market

📰 2017 Report: In the UK, a diamond ring purchased for $13 at a car boot (flea market) sale—long mistaken for costume jewelry—was auctioned for $848,000. Discovered in the 1980s, its rarity and the circumstances of its discovery highlight its extraordinary value.

█ Full story and images: 🔗 CNN

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Jewelry

5. Flea Market Fortune—$721,800 for $35 Ming Dynasty Bowl

📰 📅 2023 Report: In New Haven, Connecticut, USA, a rare 15th-century Chinese porcelain bowl bought for $35 at a flea market was auctioned for $721,800 (25.6 million baht) at Sotheby’s. Originating from the Yongle Emperor’s court, only six similar bowls exist globally. This once-in-a-lifetime treasure was hidden in plain sight.

█ Full story and images: 🔗 The Thaiger

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Pottery

6. Flea Market Fortune—$330,000 for Jackie Robinson’s Glove Bought for $20

📰 📽️ 📅 2023 Report: A $20 flea market find in Long Island, USA, turned out to be a rare treasure—a baseball glove worn by Jackie Robinson during the 1956 World Series. The glove, authenticated and deemed the only known game-used Robinson glove on the market at the time, sold for $330,000 at auction in 2013.

█ Full story, video, and images: 🔗 The Sun

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Sports

7. Flea Market Fortune—£100K ($130,000) for $25 James Bond Watch

📰 📅 2013 Report: A watch purchased for just £25 (around $32) at a flea market, known in the UK as a car boot sale, was later auctioned for £103,875 (approximately $131,900 in 2024) after being identified as a unique Breitling worn by Sean Connery in the film 'Thunderball.' Originally valued at £30,000-£60,000, the watch, discovered in a bargain bin, was the first of its kind adapted by the Bond film's art department with a Geiger counter. This rare find from a casual sale highlights its priceless cinematic history.

█ Full story and images: 🔗 Daily Mail

▌Related: Tools • Lists • Showbiz

8. Flea Market Find—$51,000 for WWII Enigma Machine Discovered at Local Market

📰 📅 2017 Report: In Romania, a collector found a WWII German Enigma machine at a flea market—originally purchased for $114. This rare cipher device, discovered in a mathematician's possession, later sold for $51,620. Its rarity and historical significance make it a priceless artifact.