Located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Curiosity Inc. is a family-run shop devoted to finding the most unique, entertaining, and curious collectible items.
Owned by Alexander Archbold, the shop is known for its collection of oddities and antique finds— some of which were located by a homeless man named Adam.
Adam often visits the shop with items he’s found during dumpster dives, asking Archbold if he would like to purchase any.
“It’s not unusual to have people walk in my store with treasures they have for sale,” said Archbold. “I’ve seen him [Adam] through the store many times before, so he’s always a welcome sight.” On that particular day, Adam was carrying a ratty, plastic bag with the loot and trinkets he’d found.
“One piece that kind of stood out was a picture of Bambi, in what was a dirty broken frame,” said Archbold.
“It’s the scene where Bambi is just born and meeting his forest friends … It’s an iconic part of the movie.”
Figuring he could sell the picture, Archbold bought it for $20— but it wasn’t until later that he took a closer look.
At first, Archbold figured the photo was a replica. Maybe if he replaced the frame he’d be able to sell it for $100. Upon removing the broken frame, however, he was in for a big surprise. In an interview with Carol Hoff, he said:
“I took it out of the old frame and when I flipped it over, it had a really old certificate of authenticity. It had a copyright date of 1937 on it.”
“I wrote a gallery in the U.S that had one, and they were asking $3,500 for theirs.”
“That’s when I knew that I way underpaid. So I vowed that whatever I would get, I would give [Adam] half [the money].”
Archbold put the piece up for auction on eBay, where it sold for $3,700 CAD ($2,780 USD). Then, his next goal was to track Adam down. “Getting him the money was difficult because he has no home and no phone number,” Archbold explained. “I took it upon myself to drive around town for a period of two weeks every single morning before work to try and find him.”
Eventually, Archbold managed to locate Adam— who immediately teared up when he was presented with $1,700 in cash.
Archbold also set up a GoFundMe for Adam to get him a plane ticket back home to Ontario and a place to live off the streets. Their goal was $10,000— but at the time of this writing, they’ve raised nearly $8,000 more.
“I’m still kind of pinching myself,” Adam told CTV News. “It doesn’t seem real to me. It’s awesome to know people are out there that care and that are kind.”
Since being uploaded, Archbold and Adam’s story has been viewed thousands of times.
“This made my heart feel so warm. You are one fine man. Your heart and feelings make the world a more positive place.”
“Very touching. I wish everyone was this compassionate. The world would be a different place.”
“That was one of the best videos I have seen.”
See the video below!
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