$35 Bust Bought At TX Goodwill Was Actually An Ancient Roman Relic

SAN ANTONIO, TX — When antique dealer Laura Young found a bust for a sale at a Texas Goodwill store in 2018, she knew she found something special. She bought it for $34.99 before taking it outside and getting a good look at it.

"I got it outside in the light," Young told The New York Times. "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."

Substantial research confirmed her suspicions: The bust was 2,000 years old, and it was part of a Bavarian king's collection until it was stolen during World War II, according to the Times.

No one knows how the bust made it to Texas, and because it was stolen, Young doesn't get to keep it. It will be returned to the Bavarian government next year, Young told the Times. Meanwhile, the bust will be on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art through May 2023.

Read more via The New York Times