$30 thrift store haul uncovered as rare artifacts in B.C.
A $30 thrift shop purchase in Chilliwack has turned out to be far more valuable than anyone imagined.
According to a release by Simon Fraser University (SFU), a customer at the Thrifty Boutique spotted 11 rings and two medallions that looked unusual.
After flagging the rare artifacts for volunteers, the items were passed along to SFU’s Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for a closer look.
“This is an incredibly exciting donation and an amazing opportunity for students here at SFU,” said Sabrina Higgins, an associate professor in global humanities and archaeology, in the release on Wednesday.
Higgins, who specializes in Rome and late antique archaeology, said the designs and materials suggest the collection is “most likely medieval in origin, though it could fall anywhere within the boundaries of the former Western Roman Empire.”
A collection of 11 rings and two medallions discovered at a Chilliwack thrift store and now being studied at Simon Fraser University. (Supplied)
The artifacts will form part of a new SFU archaeology course, starting in the fall of 2026.
According to the release, students will spend months studying the rings and medallions, using research technologies to try to trace where and when they were made.
“It will take at least a semester – if not longer – to piece together the origins of these artifacts,” Higgins said.
Even if the collection turns out to be a forgery, Higgins said it would still be valuable for students to work through the process of authenticating artifacts and understanding why fakes continue to circulate in the antiquities market.
The ethics question
SFU said that the donation also raises important questions about ethics in archaeology.
One of the ornate medallions discovered at a Chilliwack thrift store and now being studied at Simon Fraser University. (Supplied)
The museum usually avoids acquiring undocumented artifacts due to the risk that they may have been looted.
“Opportunities like this are incredibly rare,” said Cara Tremain, an SFU assistant professor who specializes in the ethics of the antiquities market.
“Students will get the chance to directly confront some of the ethical questions the museum faced in accepting this collection under these circumstances.”
Tremain noted the items could have been removed illegally from an archaeological site, or they could be modern creations.
Both possibilities will shape how students approach the collection.
The course will wrap up with a museum exhibition, showcasing not only the artifacts themselves but also the ethical issues surrounding their study.
From $30 to priceless
For the Chilliwack Hospice Society, which operates Thrifty Boutique, the discovery has been a surprise twist.
“This story is a beautiful reminder of how every donation carries meaningful history and unknown potential,” said Sue Knott, the society’s executive director, in the release.
Sabrina Higgins, SFU associate professor, Global Humanities and Archaeology, and Barbara Hilden, director, SFU Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, examine the rare artifacts that have been donated to SFU for study. (Supplied)
Museum director Barbara Hilden added that the survival of the items — whether hundreds or thousands of years old — is extraordinary in itself.
“If they are hundreds or thousands of years old, then at any point along the way they could have been lost, broken or discarded,” Hilden said.
“Yet they’ve been preserved, and now they’re entering a new chapter.”
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