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Thrifted Wilt Chamberlain Jacket Verified and Listed at Sotheby’s

Photo matching tied the jacket to Chamberlain’s 1972 NBA Finals, showing how provenance can sharply lift collector prices.

Overview

  • A 19-year-old reseller, Quinn Brown, bought the gold-and-purple Lakers warm-up jacket for $3.07 at a Goodwill outlet in Hillsboro, Oregon, in January and posted a photo to Instagram.
  • Sotheby’s noticed the post, shipped the jacket to New York, and had SIA Photo Match confirm it was worn by Wilt Chamberlain in the 1972 NBA Finals and during the 1972–73 season.
  • Sotheby’s has listed the authenticated jacket with an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000 and the online auction is open now with the lot scheduled to close on July 20.
  • Bidding had reached about $12,000 at the time of reporting, leaving the final sale price dependent on remaining interest and the July 20 closing.
  • Brown, who runs a full-time reselling business, says he plans to save any proceeds and the find highlights how professional provenance checks and major auction houses can turn low-cost thrift items into high-value collectibles.