A man who was very much down on his luck had his life turned around by a blanket that had been passed down among his family members.
LT became disabled after a bad car accident when his foot was crushed. He survived on disability checks of $839 a month. He often couldn’t make ends meet, but he got his spirits up thinking things might change one night when he was watching Antiques Roadshow. A man on the show had a Navajo First Phase Chief’s Wearing Blanket appraised for about a half a million dollars.
LT was stunned because it was very similar to a blanket that he owned. It was passed down through his family and he casually used it around his house. He was hoping his would be worth $10,000 so it could help get him out of a financial jam.
LT took his blanket to John Moran Auctions. When the appraiser saw LT’s blanket, he lost his breath and the hair on his neck stood up!
When this blanket was woven in the 1850s or 1840s, it sold for possibly $5200. That is a staggering amount. After verifying the fibers were authentic, LT was told his blanket was very conservatively worth $100,000 to $200,000. A man who was just hoping for $10,000 got hopeful that this blanket his family had for generations could turn his life around.
LT was both anxious and excited on the day of the auction. He was hoping his family’s blanket would bring in enough money to allow him to buy a house and maybe fix up his car. He had no idea how much more he was in store for!
The bidding started at $150,000, but within a few seconds, it was twice that amount. As the price increased dramatically, the look of disbelief on LT’s face was evident. His life was about to change in just a handful of minutes.
You’ll no doubt be excited for LT as you watch the video of the auction below.
The winning bid was actually $1.8 million including fees. This exceeded the expectations of John and the auctioneers. It was an astounding sale for a very rare and historical item.
This blanket had been in LT’s family for a very long time. It just kept getting passed down to the next generation. YouTuber BirdPlan explained, “The blanket came from his great great grandfather who was a Norwegian immigrant named John Chantland who was the owner of a dry goods store in Mayville, North Dakota. John Chantland traded goods for the blanket in 1870 and upon his death, bequeathed it to his heir […] so it had been in Big LT’s family for over 150 years.”
This is a great story about a family treasure that ended up being an actual goldmine for someone who really needed it!
Share this if you love happy endings!