Laura Young really had no idea what she purchased at a Goodwill near Austin in 2018.
She told CNN in a previous interview, “I was just looking for anything that looked interesting.”
What looked interesting to her was, what she thought, was a replica of an ancient Roman bust that looked to be a thousand-years-old. Turns out, this was not a replica, but a very real ancient bust estimated to be at least 2,000 years old!
Experts believe it to be the Roman military leader Sextus Pompey, though there’s no way to be 100% sure.
The bust was originally housed in a replica of a Pompeii home, and was moved to storage just before the building was destroyed during the war. It is believed a soldier stole the bust and brought it to America in the 1950s, and through time it made its way to the Goodwill store.
Now, it’s heading back to Germany.
The bust has been on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art for the past year, but will soon be making its way back home to the Glyptothek museum in Munich, Germany.
Young told CNN, “It's been really bittersweet. I'm a little in denial, but I do plan on visiting him in Germany."