Photo of Robert E. Lee Fetches $23K for Charity

A Goodwill worker who spotted a photograph of Confederate General Robert E. Lee has helped the charity make $23,000 in an online auction.

The tintype photograph was in a bin, about to be shipped out, when a worker grabbed it and sent it to the charity's local online department. The item was then put up for auction.

Goodwill spokeswoman Suzanne Kay-Pittman said Thursday that the tintype was headed to an outlet store before the worker spotted it. She says there it would have fetched a dollar and change based on its weight.

It was also a record auction for the charity. The previous record was an early 1900s watercolor that sold for $7,500.

The sale was first reported by The Tennessean.