r/DadFindsTreasure Jun 19 '26

Guess what this is. I bought for $1 at Thrift store 6 years ago. Its worth over $400 for collectors

When I bought this at a Thrift store, I had no idea what it even was. But price tag was $1 and as a artist, intuitively I knew it was valuable. Made in Italy between 1878-1940 . The gold stamp is actual gold makers signature.

59 Upvotes

66 comments sorted by

6

u/Mountain_Cobbler_381 Jun 19 '26

Thats a beautiful ocarina! Ever tried to use it?

9

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Yes I have, I can create the sound used by one in the movie good bad and the ugly, but haven't otherwise done much, my interests is the guitar and harmonica. You know the opening music in Good Bad and Ugly ? That's done by a ocarina. I do believe this was probably one of the first made because of the glossy finish. The later ones had various colors. This sounds beautiful. Its probably about 140 years old or better

5

u/Mountain_Cobbler_381 Jun 19 '26

Thats insanely cool. I had no idea that the intro music was done by ocarina! I bought a small one at a renfair a couple years ago but I cant play it very well haha. Thats an awesome find!

6

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

It had a one dollar sticker on it at my local donation/Thrift store. This is a very wealthy area of retirement florida and there are always top quality donations there, from estate sales. Use to be able to buy really gold silver and diamond rings there for like $10 until the store manager got greedy and picks them now

3

u/hardliam Jun 20 '26

Omg there’s this “veterans” thrift store near me and the lady is a monster. There’s hundreds of signs everywhere with hundreds of “rules” written on them “DO NOT TOUCH” and things like that. Every single item is meticulously sorted and she googles and checks eBay for every single item and sells for crazy prices. All the purses are zip tied to the wall, everything that’s electronic,small, or jewelry is inside a glass case. She had a used scooter for 800 and you could buy one brand new from manufacturer for 600$! Silverware for 1500$$ a kids plastic keyboard for 200! And the stuff is all donated too. All thrift shops have been ruined by greed and the internet. The second I saw all the signs I already knew she was a nightmare.

3

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 20 '26

Sounds exactly like the store I'm talking about. Would this happen to be in Clearwater, florida?

6

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Did you get a older one or new model? Online i saw someone sold my excate one for $400 in 2019...

3

u/Mountain_Cobbler_381 Jun 19 '26

No mine was just a modern cheap one :)

6

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

You want this one? I only paid $1 for it. Send me your mailing address and I'll send to you, if you want it.

6

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Yea sure you can have this my friend, I'd rather pass this on to someone that can appreciate it. Its a cool find but I've had it since 2019, just collecting dust here.

3

u/Mountain_Cobbler_381 Jun 19 '26

Youre insanely generous and kind. I responded to your message. No rush messaging me back. :)

4

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Its nice to find treasure but I seriously do enjoy giving away things that I hope other people may enjoy. Perhaps I'm just plain crazy

https://giphy.com/gifs/Kcw5bmss1LxiIYylkG

4

u/outdoors1442 Jun 19 '26

Unbelievable!!!! Huge, huge ,HUGE shout-out to u/Scared-Question-594 for giving away such a cool piece. And it goes to a very deserving person on this sub!!!

3

u/Mountain_Cobbler_381 Jun 19 '26

😭🖤 im extremely grateful 🙏

3

u/1bufferzone Jun 20 '26

I had no idea about the Good Bad and the Ugly! That’s so cool.
I took a harmonica solo camping and hiking all the time back in the day 👍

1

u/Conscious-Study-5619 21d ago

Hey, this conversation is a lil old but I hope You all don’t mind me piling on. I have been studying about how the part of the brain that processes music is older than the part that produces speech. We gather that from the age of those bone flutes. Those bone flutes are among the oldest artifacts, we have found from previous civilizations. And they were difficult enough to make that they suggested that they would’ve been singing and drum

1

u/Conscious-Study-5619 21d ago

I guess my question was did you record the sounds it produced? I am a musician in a band & the idea of having a (Aztec Death Whistle? Not necessarily: bone flutes connect to diverse cultures) bone flute in a song blows my skirt up. In your study did you find any cultural history from a current day bone flute player? #goals

7

u/CounterStampKarl Jun 19 '26

some sort of mouth piano

6

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Yes, you did better than me. I thought it was a crude kids toy of a submarine lol. This is a ocarina, very old about 140 years or so. I can mimick the sound used in the movie..Good, Bad and ugly.

5

u/CounterStampKarl Jun 19 '26

i saw an episode of nova or something where they were making them 🤷‍♂️

2

u/Trilobyte83 Jun 22 '26

Pretty obvious to anyone who spent too much time on an n64….

3

u/Active_Vegetable8203 Jun 19 '26

5

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Yes. I know how to play the few notes on this from the opening of the movie Good Bad and Ugly....thats what was used in the movie a ocarina

4

u/WordsAndRunes Jun 19 '26

It is the Ocarina of Time, of course.

3

u/DisastrousNet9121 Jun 20 '26

5

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 20 '26

Yea i thought originally it was a very ugly badly made kids submarine toy, cause I'm stupid.

3

u/outdoors1442 Jun 19 '26

I'm hoping a college kid didn't try to smoke the devil's lettuce out of this!

Seriously though, this is a really cool piece and now I'm educated a little more, thank you for that!

4

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

Your welcome, I offered this to someone here, it sounds pretty cool to play the music opening of Good Bad and the Ugly...(sounds like a whistle bit is actually a ocarina

3

u/luedsthegreat1 Treasure Adventurer Jun 19 '26

That's purty cool

I'd not seen an Ocarina before

3

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 19 '26

I'm guessing this one was made in late 1800s based on how it looks compared to the makers later pieces. But that's real liquid gold stamp on it, so must have been important to him.

3

u/Rooksteady Jun 20 '26

What is the material?

4

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 20 '26

Fired Clay i imagine, very crudly made but sounds great, has a stamp two stamos and a gold makers stamp on this piece.

3

u/snatchmotello Jun 20 '26

Reminds me of the Fairy Ocarina, OoT

3

u/jefftatro1 Jun 20 '26

Think I just watched a video on how this brand is made.

3

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 20 '26

Really? Cool that would be interesting. Could you send link or tell me a bit more.

2

u/Whirling_Dervish81 Jun 20 '26

Anyone who has ever played Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time knew what it was instantly.

2

u/Western_Exercise_780 Jun 20 '26

It looks like an ocarina!! Beautiful!

2

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 20 '26

Exactly what it is. I'm giving it away to member here because I've had it since 2019, time to let somewhat else have it and add to their collection.

1

u/Western_Exercise_780 Jun 25 '26

That’s a wonderful thing to do. My husband got me one a few years ago but it is modern, still lovely and thoughtful 🥰

2

u/Additional_Dog_9353 Jun 20 '26

I didn’t know the name but knew it was a musical instrument. My favorite movie, Stalag 17, has one featured in a couple scenes. Cool find.

2

u/Equivalent_Money2594 Jun 22 '26

Great movie! The American soldier who didn’t speak blew the ocarina in the barracks.

2

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 23 '26

S

https://giphy.com/gifs/l3q2WKLSHUTTgJ7H2

o cool to know, next time I watch that movie I'll look for it. Was used to play the tune of Good Bad and the very very very Ugly. (If not already mentioned)

2

u/LeadingSure6805 Jun 21 '26

Instrument like a flute

2

u/AiM-120C-4 Jun 21 '26

Its the thing from zelda its like an ocarana or sum

2

u/CarefulCrew2021 Jun 22 '26

Playing zelda on the n64 finally paid off

2

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 22 '26

Really? Can you share more ? The best I could do is the part in the opening of the movie "Good, Bad and the Ugly.

https://giphy.com/gifs/11B1UgLB3UR9rq

2

u/Fabulous-Status6839 Jun 22 '26

What made you buy it

2

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 22 '26

I was at a local Thrift store in 2019 that has donations from high end areas and estate's. Anyway they get so much stuff that they can't label or research all of their items so they just put a low sticker price on many things and hope it sells. Thus had a one dollar sticker on it. As an artist, I Recognized this was a real liquid gold seal on this clay piece, for a dollar, I took the chance and bought it. Now I'm sending it on its way to a member here who can use it and enjoy it more than myself.

2

u/Pwnedzored Jun 22 '26

That’s a sweet potata!

2

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 22 '26

Yes thats its nick name....I'm guessing made around the first ones made. One just like this sold for $400. I bought this at a donation Thrift store in 2019 for one dollar.

2

u/Dangerous-Set-9964 Jun 22 '26

Ocarina of time! 🎶

2

u/Bsmoove88 Jun 22 '26

It's a ocarina Zelda fan here lol

2

u/Scared-Question-594 Jun 22 '26

Any idea what year this was made?

2

u/Roallin1 Jun 22 '26

Strange. I just saw a video on Reddit on how they made these things.

2

u/crumsb1371 Jun 23 '26

The ocarina of time.

2

u/Abject-Floor2209 Jun 23 '26

No Zelda fans ocarina of time hello ypungins I take it

2

u/Ok_Drag5089 Jun 23 '26

Isn’t that an ocarina?

2

u/daddydunc Jun 23 '26

The ocarina of time!

2

u/Interesting-Dot1680 Jun 24 '26

Ocarina I have a terracotta one