We’ve all heard that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but rarely have we seen a beaming example of that notion such as this.
Curiosity Incorporated’s antique shop in Alberta, Canada got a special visit from one of their regulars, Adam Gilliam.
Adam didn’t think this visit would be any different from the rest, but he was oh so wrong.
He brought in an old animation cell he found tucked away in a dumpster.
He thought it would be worth a couple of bucks that would help him get through the day.
The antique store owner, Alexander Archbold handed Gillian over $20.00 for an old framed picture of the Disney character, Bambi.
For Adam, it was quite a good trade for something that he just found laying along with some trash, so he didn’t bother negotiating the price.
What he didn’t know was that the ‘trash’ he found was actually treasure.
In a documentary YouTube video, Alexander narrated that he didn’t quite notice the unique details of the piece.
With further research and a thorough look at the item, it turned out it’s worth way more than just $20.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHE3TRFgYAg/
When he sold the old cel, he realized he had severely shorted the man who sold it to him.
Thankfully, Archbold was kind and generous enough to share the blessing. He decided to split the total sales price with Adam 50/50.
The only problem was that, since Adam’s homeless, he didn’t know where to find him. So the antique store owner initially wandered the streets hoping to find him.
At that time, the holiday season was fast approaching, which means the temperatures were dropping. Looking for him was pretty hard since homeless people usually look for places that give them warmth in the cold season.
It turned out Alexander and his family were once in the same situation as Adam.
In the same video, he confessed to having a tough life before he even entered the world of buy & sell.
“My mom worked three jobs for a while, and we didn’t have a home. We struggled with poverty and homelessness ourselves when I was a kid. And for much of junior high, we lived in motels.”
He also said he doesn’t want to milk profit from less fortunate people as he can completely relate to their tough life.
That’s the reason why he really pursued looking for Adam and giving him what he deserved. He searched and searched.
Archbold looked for Adam for two weeks.
Finally, one lucky day the man came walking right back into his shop.
To his surprise, the man he was looking for walked into his store again. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the money handy at that time so they just agreed to meet the next day.
When Adam returned the next day, he thought it was just to be interviewed about his find.
They sat and went on having a ‘Q&A’. It was Archbold’s way of getting to know Adam a little better. They talked like it was just really for YouTube content, nothing very fancy and unusual.
He even told Adam how he’s tried to find him, which surely surprised the unsuspecting homeless guy. Then he tried to remind him of the item he’d sold.
After handing Adam over an envelope with cash, the store owner told him the item ended up being sold on eBay for $3,700!
He also asked Gillian’s permission to put up a GoFundMe for him.
To which he immediately agreed. It’s obvious, Alexander doesn’t just want to give him half of the profit but to somehow make his life a little better. What a guy!
He ended up getting to know Adam, who turned out to be a father of three kids, all under the age of 10. He was a drywall laborer but luck turned its back on him which led him to be homeless.
In the video’s comment section, Archbold shared updates about the GoFundMe account and what he ended up doing for Adam about the profit from the rare animation cel.
“We didn’t mention it in this video but Adam did get the entire value of the piece. We used the other half for food clothes and a ticket home. Additionally we were able to raise $18k through gofundme. There is an update linked to the end of this video :) thanks for watching! And all the best to you Adam and your new future!”
Based on another video from Curiosity Incorporated, the two were able to meet again a year after. Things were going great for Adam, as he’s again back to work and back on his feet.
There’s a glow in his eyes and his confidence is back. He’s like a totally new person and we can’t thank Archbold and all the people who have helped him through.
Their newfound friendship just goes to show that kindness is worth far more than anything that money can buy.
See the moment that helped Adam turn his life back around in the video below!
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