Lara Spencer from “Good Morning America” spoke reverently about a $3 garage sale bowl that sold for $2.2 million at auction on March 19. Spencer is a self-processed garage sale shopper and was delighted to report on the extreme trash-to-treasures find on Wednesday. In addition to serving as “GMA’s” entertainment reporter, Spencer is also the host of HGTV’s “Flea Market Flip” and author of “I Brake for Yard Sales.” After running her spotlight story on the incredible yard sale find, Spencer exclaimed with great enthusiasm, “That’s exactly why I brake for tag sales!”
During her pop news segment on “GMA,” Lara explained that a man picked up a “pretty white bowl” at a tag sale in New York for $3 in 2007. The new owner displayed it on his mantle, where it sat for several years. He thought the bowl looked really old and finally decided to have it appraised. Sotheby experts determined that the garage sale bowl was extremely rare and worth $300,000, so the owner cosigned the bowl for auction. On March 19, London dealer Giuseppe Eskenzai paid $2,225,000 for the 5” round bowl, well above the original estimated value.
The $3 garage sale purchase is actually an extremely rare Chinese bowl from the Northern Song Dynasty, dating back to the 10th or 11th century. There is only one like it in the world and it has been on display at the British Museum in London for over 60 years.
For years, “GMA’s” Lara Spencer has been obsessed with flea markets and yard sales, so this story was especially appealing and exciting. She served as the host of “Antiques Roadshow” from 2005-2006 and was the creator and executive producer of the prime time game show, “It’s Worth What?” Spencer has also created and produced two shows for HGTV based on her passions for bargain hunting and interior design, including “Flea Market Flip.”
In addition, Lara has done numerous feature segments on yard sale treasures on “Good Morning America” and numerous other TV shows. She redecorated rooms for Sam Champion and Robin Roberts, using yard sale finds that she refinished and re-purposed.
In “I Brake for Yard Sales: And Flea Markets, Thrift Shops, Auctions and the Occasional Dumpster,” Lara Spencer shares her secrets for bargain hunting. She tells readers where to shop, what to look for, how to negotiate, and how to restore second-hand items.
Her co-anchors have often ribbed Lara for her penny-pinching ways, but on March 20, Sam Champion and Josh Elliott joked that they’re ready to shop with Lara, a self-confessed frugalista with a passion for bargains.
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