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A "Timely" Investment

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An unidentified Air Force veteran was in for the thrill of a lifetime when he visited the Antiques Roadshow in Fargo, North Dakota.  He brought with him a vintage Rolex watch. The Veteran explained to the ARS appraiser that he purchased the Rolex Daytona for $345.97 with a 10% discount at a military base exchange when he was stationed in Thailand from 1973-1975.  Considering that the average monthly salary was around $300-$400 this was a very big purchase at the time The appraiser explained because of the watch’s incredible condition it was probably worth between $500,000 -$700,000! This rare Rolex is referred to a “Paul Newman” Daytona in the watch world and is similar to what he wore in the 1969 film “Winning.”  In recent decades this watch has become a very hot collector’s item, however, It began as a watch that sat on shelves without much attention. The legend goes that after Paul Newman wore his panda dial Daytona on the cover of an Italian magazine its popularity began to soar with auction prices increasing through the 90’s up until now.  Read more about this modern-day treasure find here.