A man has discovered his leather racing jacket is now worth $20,000 thanks to its famous previous owner.
The valuable souvenir was given to him free of charge by a friend 30 years ago.
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A man appeared on an episode of Pawn Stars when he decided to sell his running jacket.
The jacket was worn by NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. during the 1993 Coca Cola 600.
“A friend of mine gave it to me,” he explained.
“He acquired it in 1993 at an invitation-only event.”
Earnhardt was known as “the Bully” for his aggressive driving style.
Steve Grad, lead authenticator at Beckett Authentication Services, came into the store to evaluate the jacket.
“In terms of importance, you can’t have a better racing suit than Dale Earnhardt,” he said.
Steve also noted that the presentation plate was signed by the racing legend, adding to its value.
What’s more, Earnhardt’s name was written on the collar of his jacket.
“Everything I see here seems absolutely genuine,” he said.
The expert estimated the value of the jacket at around US$20,000.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the owner to part with it.
“We couldn’t do a deal today, we just couldn’t do it,” he said.
“I’ll take it home and hang it on the wall, I think.”
Who was Dale Earnhardt?
Dale Earnhardt Sr. is one of the most important drivers in NASCAR history.
He won 76 Winston Cup races during his 27-year career.
Born in 1951, he was killed instantly in a collision during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
MOST EXPENSIVE JACKETS
This isn’t the first time someone has brought a valuable jacket to a pawn shop.
A woman brought in her father’s old leather jacket and was surprised to discover it was worth $12,000.
It turns out that the jacket was worn during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II by a German soldier.
“The way this would have happened is an American soldier captured a German pilot and stole his jacket, and then essentially he turned it into a memento of the war,” said Alex Cranmer, an expert in military antiquities.
A woman bought a $30 painting at an estate sale that ended up being worth $3,500.
And look at the ordinary-looking dollar bill that’s actually worth $30,000.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
