A man ‘got lucky’ after spotting a coveted collectable item on a shelf in a charity shop. At first, he didn’t realise what it was but quickly discovered he had a lucrative find on his hands
A man “got lucky” when he was able to snag a sought-after video game collectable after stumbling across it in a charity shop. It’s not uncommon for people to scour charity shops for bargains and vintage items and, occasionally, shoppers strike gold.
This was the case for a 31-year-old man from Ohio, US, who was having a browse in a discount retail chain store with his sister when he came upon a box displayed on a shelf among other “more valuable” products. Initially, he didn’t recognise what it was but quickly realised he had a profitable find on his hands.
The item turned out to be a Constellation Edition bundle for Starfield, the 2023 action role-playing game by Bethesda Game Studios, complete with a replica of the game’s futuristic Chronomark watch, which doubles as a fully functional smartwatch.
Of his “lucky” find, the man, who preferred to stay anonymous, told Newsweek: “The box was at a Village Outlet Thrift Store, on a shelf where they keep their more valuable stuff.
“I was actually just kind of putzing around while I waited for my younger sister to try on some clothing. The logo caught my eye but it had been so long since I’d first played Starfield I didn’t immediately recognise it.”
When he spotted what it was and “remembered the collector’s edition box”, he looked up the current value which left him “surprised”. He then asked a staff member if he could “check it out” and see “if the watch worked”.
He revealed: “She said she didn’t know if the watch worked but that it was 50% off for being a ‘miscellaneous’ item that day. For $75 (£55.77), I figured it would be cool even if it didn’t work.”
These collectors’ editions are typically sold online for between £185.86 ($250) and £223 ($300).
The “lucky” man shared his find on Reddit, posting photos of the collectable with the caption: “Just found this at a thrift store for $75”.
He then wrote: “This is a Starfield Collectors edition watch with case. It sells online for $250-$300. They had it tagged at $150 but it was 50% because of the tag colour discount. I am never this lucky.”
In the comments section, people were eager to share their thoughts. One person said: “That’s really cool man. I wish the game had that level of detail lol”.
Another commented: “I love finding collector’s edition game stuff I wanted in thrift stores. I managed to score the tithing box from Red Dead Redemption II and it made me so happy.”
A third shared: “That is a beautiful watch”.
Someone else said: “Bethesda makes the best collector items. I recently got a Fallout Pip Boy and I love it.”
Another said: “This is a serious find.”
And another agreed: “Oooo I love Starfield, awesome find”.
One Reddit user said: “If you’d ever sell just the case hit me up” while another added: “This is so cool!!!”