The Valuable Antique '80s Sofa Only The Luckiest Thrift Shoppers Can Find

Thrift stores provide an excellent opportunity for engaging in eco-friendly shopping and finding cool, unusual items that aren't readily available. If you've curated a thrift shopping bucket list already, then you know it can sometimes take months or even years to find all the items — if you're lucky enough to find them at all. One item that will sit on your bucket list for a while is the antique '80s Tatlin Sofa. Recently, one lucky thrift shopper picked up this iconic sofa for just $350. But the odds of finding one at all, let alone for that price, are slim.

Even popular resale sites don't have listings for this sofa online. The few places that have it list the item for over $8,000. So, what makes this sofa so special? Well, the unique shape has a lot to do with it. The sofa, which was designed in the late 80s by Mario Cananzi and Roberto Semprini, loosely resembles the Tatlin Tower. The tower, designed by Soviet architect Vladimir Tatlin, was never actually built. More than simply furniture, the tower-inspired sofa is thought to be a piece of architecture and is meant to be the centerpiece of a room. In the past, these sofas were often used in public spaces, including the lobbies of luxury hotels. The tower-shaped couch has also made an appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

If you're hoping to find one of these valuable furniture pieces for yourself, prepare to look long and hard. Of course, with an item as valuable as the Tatlin Sofa, knowing how to authenticate your latest thrifting find is key. The shape of this sofa is a dead giveaway, but there is another identifier to look out for.

As far as unique sofa styles that made a splash in decades past go, the Tatlin is among the most one of a kind. This quality makes it pretty easy to identify in the wild while thrifting — all you have to do is look at the sofa. The Tatlin boasts a curved seat with a spiral-shaped backrest in the center. If you're lucky enough to find one of these sofas at the thrift store, don't stop your authentication efforts at merely validating the shape. Be sure to look for an attribution mark as well — it should have the designers' names.

The sofa comes in a handful of colors, including red and gray. However, some people choose to reupholster the piece, either to repair damage or to better suit their personality. If you pursue this route, you will want to master these tricks for achieving the perfect upholstery corner.