A California man accidentally sold his wife’s $23,000 wedding ring for $10 at a garage sale.
Racquel Cloutier said her community of Laguna Niguel holds a garage sale every year. The 31-year-old was in the hospital after just giving birth, and her husband thought it would be fun for their children to sell some things at the garage sale. So Eric Cloutier gathered a few things he thought the family didn’t need anymore, including an empty watch box.
“He didn’t know that before I went to the hospital, I put my ring in that box. I wanted the ring to be in a safe place and out of reach from my 2-year-old twins,” Racquel Cloutier said. She realized her ring, and the box, were missing a day after she returned from the hospital.
“I go into my husband’s closet, can’t find the box, and then he tells me he sold it. I said, ‘You sold it? What do you mean you sold it?’ I immediately started crying,” she said. Cloutier said she was “very, very, very upset,” but is trying to remain optimistic.
The woman who bought the box was at first unsure whether she should even buy it.
“I would never, ever keep the ring if I had found it,” Cloutier said. “If you’re honest, you’re honest. Clearly, the ring was in the box by accident.” She said her husband “feels terrible” about accidentally selling the ring. She is offering an unspecified reward for the ring’s return.
While it’s not quite on the same scale as accidentally selling a ring that costs a year’s salary for peanuts, Macy’s also recently sold some jewelry for a lot less than its actual price. A careless copywriter accidentally listed a $1,500 dollar necklace for $47 , instead of $479. While the department store was able to cancel most of the orders, some customers were able to walk away with their $47 necklace.
Do you think the woman who bought Racquel Cloutier’s ring will bring it back?