Man Accidentally Sells $23,000 Item for $10 -- But the Significant Monetary Loss Is Not the Worst Part

A California man is in the doghouse after he accidentally sold his wife's $23,000 diamond wedding ring for just $10 at a garage sale.

Looking to do something helpful, Eric Cloutier decided to clear out his home and sell some unused items at a garage sale earlier this month while his wife was in the hospital after giving birth to their fifth child.

What he didn't know was that his wife, Racquel, 31, had hidden her expensive and cherished ring in an old watch box, which he ended up selling for a measly $10.

While she is understandably devastated, Racquel told ABC News she knows it was an accident.

"He didn’t know that before I went to the hospital, I put my ring in that box. I wanted the ring to be in a safe place and out of reach from my two-year-old twins," she said.

When she arrived home, she couldn't find the watch box she stashed her ring in.

"I go into my husband’s closet, can’t find the box, and then he tells me he sold it," she recalled. "I said, 'You sold it? What do you mean you sold it?' I immediately started crying."

Watch ABC's report below:

Cloutier said he feels "really terrible" for selling the ring and recalled selling the box to a blonde woman. The couple are counting on that woman to be honest and return the $23,000 wedding ring.

"I'm trying to remain optimistic but I don’t know anymore. There’s a small chance whoever bought the box doesn’t know the ring is in there," Racquel said.

Screengrabs via the Daily Mail

(H/T: Daily Mail)