A woman in the Washington, D.C., area walked into a Goodwill store, hoping to pick up a trinket box. She left with a luxury Montblanc fountain pen valued at more than $700—having spent less than a dollar.
The incident was shared in a post shared on Reddit under the username u/RowanRally in the subreddit r/Goodwill_Finds, where the post has drawn over 3,700 upvotes since it was uploaded on September 23. It was titled: “Went in for a trinket box and walked out with a $0.99 Montblanc pen.”
The caption included photos of the pen, still in its original case with a $0.99 price sticker. “Yeah, it’s genuine. Perfect gift for my husband,” the user wrote in the post.
The 35-year-old woman, who did not share her name, told Newsweek that she spotted the pen during a casual stop at a Goodwill store in northern Virginia. “I recently moved to the area and I was looking to get a few trinkets boxes to organize my vanity,” she said. “The pen case was sitting on a shelf at my eye level; I was certain it would be empty, but opened it anyway. And, to my surprise, there was the pen, with an empty ink reservoir but in otherwise excellent condition.”
The woman later researched the model and found it matched images from Montblanc’s official catalog. “I compared the pen to existing stock photos of the same model, and every little detail matched up exactly,” she said. “This model is no longer made, but, from what I can find from the current model and authorized retailers, this pen goes for $730-plus.”
The discovery highlights the enduring appeal of thrift shopping, an industry that has steadily expanded in the U.S. In August 2024, Research and Markets reported that thrift store revenue is estimated to have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 percent to reach $14.2 billion over the past five years, including a 1.4 percent rise in 2023 alone.
The shopper said she intends to restore the pen before gifting it. “My husband mentioned he likes fountain pens before, but he sounded absolutely elated at this find. I will take the pen into my local Montblanc store to have it refurbished, and will gift it to him once it’s in good working order,” the woman told Newsweek.
‘Just Wow’
Reddit users celebrated the score, chiming in with congratulations and envy.
“Score of the month. Bravo. Just wow,” wrote u/Leading_Tradition997. Another commenter, u/FamiliarChocolate819, added: “WOW! That’s a great score!”
“Lol [laugh out loud] I’d leave that 99¢ sticker forever as a reminder of the best deal ever,” posted u/Sudden_Purpose_5836.
“Congratulations! I love hearing about incredible thrift store finds like this!” posted u/SusanLFlores.
U/mohawk990 said: “Good luck! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the affordability of having your new pen refreshed. It will come back looking brand new!”
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