During what seemed to be just another routine exploration, Quinn Brown stumbled upon what can only be described as the thrift store discovery of a lifetime.
PORTLAND, Ore. — For 19-year-old Quinn Brown, rummaging through the pay-by-the-pound bins at Goodwill Outlet stores becomes an exhilarating quest.
“It’s an adventure akin to a treasure hunt,” Brown remarked.
In a remarkable find last January, Brown pulled from a heap of forgotten apparel a Los Angeles Lakers warm-up jacket. This item was later verified to have been worn by the legendary Wilt Chamberlain during the iconic 1972 NBA Finals.
“I noticed someone else inspecting it before discarding it back into the bin,” Brown shared with KGW. “I quickly seized it, not realizing its full significance at that moment, but sensing it was indeed extraordinary.”
Just how special became clear after authentication experts determined Chamberlain wore the jacket during the Lakers’ 1972 championship run. The jacket is up for auction at Sotheby’s beginning Wednesday and is expected to sell for between $150,000 and $250,000.
Brown has spent the past three years searching thrift stores and reselling vintage clothing. Before this find, the most he had made on a single item was $250 for a vintage T-shirt. He postponed his freshman year of college to pursue reselling full time, spending long hours digging through outlet bins in search of valuable items.
“I obviously never expected finding anything even a hundredth of what this ended up being worth,” Brown said. “People put in a lot of hours to find something like this.”
Seasoned collectors were equally stunned by Brown’s discovery, including Troy Douglass, owner of Back to the Basket, a Southeast Portland shop specializing in vintage basketball memorabilia.
“I think he kind of hit the lottery, so to speak. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is crazy,” Douglass said. “If he’s the one out there pulling up to the outlets every day early in the morning, good for him. Hard work does pay off.”
How the historic piece of memorabilia ended up at Goodwill remains a mystery. Brown said the only clue is a dry-cleaning tag that was still attached to the jacket.
“So somewhere from the dry cleaners, somebody forgot it,” Brown said. “Something like that, but there’s nothing concrete.”
The Sotheby’s auction opened Wednesday and is scheduled to close July 20.