I work at the vineyards and get paid in alcohol – decades later one of the vintage drinks is worth $145,000

A VINEYARDS worker was paid in alcohol, including a bottle that hit a record years later at auction for its age. Distilled in 1762, the centuries-old drink sold at auction for just under $145,000. AlamyA vineyard worker from France was paid in cognac because of the phylloxera outbreak that financially devastated the vineyards[/caption] Sotheby'sOne of the bottles was a 1762 vintage Gautier Cognac, which sold at auction for $144,525[/caption] The valuable bottle of alcohol originated from a man named Alphonse, according to the New Atlas. He worked at the vineyards of Cognac, France in 1870, where he was paid in bottles of cognac due to the phylloxera outbreak that financially devastated the vineyards. Decades later, he returned home to his adopted family – the Donsirs. Although Alphonse unfortunately died while fighting in the First World War in 1914, his bottles were stored in the family’s cellar for decades. Among the bottles was a 1762 vintage Gautier Cognac with its original label, which is likely still drinkable. It was distilled 262 years ago during the reign of King Louis XV of France. The cognac was sold in 2020 at a Sotheby’s auction for $144,525 to a private collector in Asia. Bottled around 1840 by Cognac House Gautier, the drink became “the oldest Cognac vintage ever sold at auction,” according to the auctioneers. COGNAC TRIO The bottle is one of three containing cognac first distilled in 1762. It is the largest in the trio and called the Grand Frère, or “big brother” in French. The Petit Frere, or “little brother” sold in 2014 for $59,500 at a Bonham’s auction. Wealth Solutions, a Polish company specializing in rare spirits and collectibles, purchased the cognac. The company made a unique move, opening the bottle and inserting drops of the cognac into luxury watches. Wealth Solutions also placed drops of the pricey alcohol into gold coins and fountain pens. At the time, the purchase of the Petit Frere marked the oldest cognac sold at auction. Valuable Items People have unkowingly stumbled upon valauble items, later shocked to realize their true value. Here are several examples of items worth more than expected: A grandmother’s baseball bat worth $30,000 A silver coin found on a farm worth $30,000 A hand-me-down ring worth $595,000 An antique lighter worth $4,000 A model bridge worth $25,000 The Petit Soeur, or “little sister” of the trio, is displayed at the Maison Gautier Museum in Cognac. The cognac maker is over 265 years old and still in business after having been passed down 10 family generations. Other items have similarly turned out to be worth more than expected. A “dirty old” hand-me-down blanket no one wanted turned out to be worth $1.5 million. Plus, an old rug from the trash was sold for $150,000 thanks to its highly sought-after design.