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Woman buys $35 Goodwill Sculpture, Turns Out to be Priceless Roman Relic

A woman bought a carved marble bust of a man’s head for $34.99 at a local Texas goodwill store that has turned out to be a priceless Roman relic. It is now in a museum and the mystery of its origin is still unraveling.

Goodwill sold a priceless Roman relic for $34.99

Goodwill is known for bargains, but this one was, well, priceless…

In 2018, a woman spotted a marble bust of a man’s head at a local Goodwill store in Texas. It looked old, and it was heavy – 52 pounds. Laura Young, the owner of a vintage goods shop in Austin, was shopping for items to resell and thought it was a good buy, marked at $34.99, Art News reports.

An expert examined the sculpture and determined that its old appearance was because it was, in fact, ancient.

“My husband and I were on a road trip when I got an email from [the auction house] Bonhams confirming the head was indeed ancient Roman,” Laura said in a statement. “But without provenance they could be of no further assistance.”

“Soon after that, Sotheby’s got in touch,” Laura continued. She said she was advised not to attempt to sell the work at auction or through any private channels. US law does not recognize the transfer of title of stolen property.

Laura then knew she would have to give up the piece.

“There were a few months of intense excitement after that, but it was bittersweet since I knew I couldn’t keep or sell [the sculpture],” Laura added. “Either way, I’m glad I got to be a small part of [its] long and complicated history, and he looked great in the house while I had him.”

The history of “the portrait of a man”

Art experts continue to work on unraveling the mystery of how this Roman sculpture ended up being dropped off at a Goodwill store in Texas.

According to the experts, the sculpture is called “Portrait of a Man,” the Star-Telegram reports. The piece has been dated back to the first century CE, and once belonged to the collection of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

It’s believed the bust may depict Roman commander Drusus Germanicus.

With its origin figured out, and with help from her legal counsel, Laura contacted Bavarian authorities about the restitution of the bust. The Bavarian government agreed to cover all costs accrued in transporting the artifact to Germany.

In the interim, the Bavarian government agreed to a short-term loan arrangement with the San Antonio Museum of Art, where it went on display on May 4.

How did the sculpture get to the US?

Near the end of World War II, researchers know that looting occurred at a house called the Pompejanum after the building was damaged by Allied bombers. The house is a mid-19th century full-scale replica of a Pompeiian villa built by King Ludwig I in Aschaffenburg, Germany, CBS reported.

At the end of World War II, US Army troops were stationed in Aschaffenburg. And in the years beyond, throughout the Cold War, many American troops remained stationed there.

Researchers speculate that a returning soldier may have smuggled the sculpture back to the United States. In all the decades since, someone apparently dropped it off at Goodwill in Austin.