Everyone has made a garage sale snafu in their day, selling their favorite pair of shoes by accident, forgetting to label the items they sell correctly, or just plain bad luck when it comes to valuing items. Most of these mistakes amount to less than $10 in overall loss; one woman however lost $18,000 when she accidentally sold her diamond earrings along with $1500 being saved for a family vacation and a ring given to her by her husband to a stranger for only $20. Anyone that may sell diamonds can tell you, this was a fantastic deal.
via MSN
While this may seem impossible to some, the harried mother accidentally sold an old jean jacket for just $20 that had the valuables hidden in the pocket for safe keeping. Though most people would opt for a small household safe or even a jewelry box with a lock, it was a jean jacket where Dori Rhoades chose to hide over $20,000 of valuables. Rhoades volunteers in classrooms, runs a household, and takes care of her husband and children and attributes the mistake to being overworked. While anyone who is a mother knows that sometimes things can get a bit hairy and you may forget where you put that $20 bill, most people tend to remember where they have hidden items that amount to a year’s salary for some.
A similar pair, this 1.25ctw halo stud set is only $4995
Rhoades hopes that by putting her story out there, a snafu that most people would be too embarrassed to admit to, that the stranger who bought her jacket will return the goods. Though most people would be surprised and immediately return the items if they found them in a jacket, the items have yet to be returned and Rhoades has been on edge since May when the jacket was sold. This incident is somewhat reminiscent of the woman who found a diamond ring in the pocket of a pair of jeans at a Goodwill late last year. It just goes to show you, items of clothing are not safe hiding places for anything more than a tissue or a gum wrapper and that people should treat yard sales and donation bins like they treat the washing machine and check their pockets.
