Woman Kept An 18th Century Victorian Gown Hidden In A Box. Decades Later, When She Learns It’s True Value, She Nearly Faints

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November 30, 2017

It’s an ever-popular saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasures.” Although, in this instance, there is no trash anywhere to be found.

After the birth of a woman’s first daughter in the 1960s, a friend gave her an 18th-century gown. Her friend had given it to her thinking that it would be a fun dress-up costume for the little girl. She graciously accepted the gown, but never returned to it until much later in life. 

As the years went by, the dress remained in the very box it came in; it hadn’t seen the light of day for nearly six decades. One day, while the recipient was cleaning out her attic, she stumbled upon the dress. She opened the box and quite honestly thought little of it. “Sure, it’s pretty. But I have no use for it,” and she moved the box to the “giveaway” pile.

Days later, the woman’s daughter came over to collect her mom’s donations. When the daughter saw the dress, she questioned her mother’s judgment in giving it away. The daughter encouraged her mother to get the dress professionally appraised.

The woman followed her daughter’s advice and took the gown to an antique show. For the first time since she received it in the 1960’s, the woman got a good look at the garment! Beautifully displayed on a mannequin, the dress was finally able to reveal its true splendor. As the woman examined the antique creation for the first time, she realized that it was covered with stunning paintings of wildflowers, vintage lace trim, and brass and silver buttons. The dress was truly stunning!

When the appraiser saw the dress, she was in awe! She informed the owner that she possessed a type of “Robe à La Française” (or French dress) known as a “Sack-back Gown.” It was one of the most prestigious gowns worn in the 1700s and wildly popular among the wealthy. The appraiser was shocked to see that the dress was in such superb condition, and applauded the owner for taking such great care of it. Of course, the owner laughed because she had done nothing special - other than leaving it in its original box!

With eager anticipation, the woman was ready to hear what the appraiser had to say about its value. She shocked the owner when she said it was worth a whopping 40,000 pounds, which converts to $53,657 USD. Can you believe that?! The owner nearly fainted at learning the value! Check out the video, below, to see the dress it all its glory!

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