Man finds collectable item in charity shop for £55 and is 'surprised' by true value

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.

• 'Uber driver asked us strange question and I can’t believe what happened next'
• 'I made small change to my home and my neighbour's reaction was outrageous'

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!!!"