Texas Woman Finds A Sculpture At Goodwill That’s Over 2,000 Years Old

It’s amazing what you can find at Goodwill.   You can find everything from vintage clothing, used electronics, and even antiques.  Well, one central Texas shopper found a sculpture that’s over 2,000 years old.

Back in 2018, Laura Young stopped by the Goodwill down in Austin to do a little shopping.  While browsing the thrift store, she found a pretty cool-looking sculpture priced at only $34.99.  Young is an antique dealer, and thought that the 50-pound marble sculpture was an incredible find.   She then purchased the sculpture, strapped it up in her car seat, and took it home.

Young then did some research to find out how much her purchase was worth.  After contacting an auction house in London, she discovered that the sculpture was over 2,000 years old.   It was a portrait bust of Drusus Germanicus, who was a popular Roman general at the time the sculpture was made.

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The sculpture previously belonged to a museum in Germany known as the Pompejanum, which was built in the 1840s in Aschaffenburg.  Unfortunately, the museum sustained heavy damage during World War II, and was lost during a battle.  After the battle, many of the museum’s artifacts were lost, stolen, or destroyed.  The sculpture was likely stolen and later ended up in the United States.

After learning about the origins of the sculpture, Young decided that she wanted to return it to its rightful owner in Germany.  She then hired an attorney that specialized in international art law.  Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it took a while to negotiate the terms.

After keeping the sculpture for the past four years a deal was finalized, and the sculpture will be returning to Germany.  However, before it makes its journey over the Atlantic Ocean, you’ll be able to see it at the San Antonio Museum of Art for the next year at their Roman art exhibit.  The sculpture will be on display until the summer of 2023. It's hard to believe that Young found this incredibly rare ancient artifact on sale at Goodwill for only $34.99.