© Supplied A sealskin coat donated to the Whyte Avenue Goodwill store in Edmonton, Alta.

The Whyte Avenue Goodwill store in Edmonton is trying to find the owner of a sealskin coat — which they found in their after-hours bin last week.

Goodwill Industries Alberta marketing manager Doug Roxburgh said when the parka was discovered, they immediately knew it was special.

"We recognized it had extreme cultural significance," he said.

"This is an item that usually doesn't get donated, and may very well have been donated by accident. It may have come from an estate sale, or it could have been buried in a box and someone didn't realize," Roxburgh explained.

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Staff got to work trying to learn more about the unique find.

"We found it, sourced it, researched it and realized this is just one of those items that has too much cultural significance for us, as we want to represent our community of Alberta — and this was traced right back to the Northwest Territories."

Based on the tag, they found the parka was made by the Holman Eskimo Co-operative and could date back as far as the 1950s. The coats were still being made as late as the 1980s.

"It's over 50 years old and not only that, this was handmade as well."

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Goodwill spoke to the Holman Co-op in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T and they're now trying to find the artist who might have made it.

"We get unique items all the time. I have to say this is probably near the top of the list. This particular item, because of its cultural significance — you don't see these very often. It's a rarity."

Goodwill shared their find on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram hoping to learn even more about the traditional coat, which just so happens to be in great condition.

"We have had a number of people reach out, from Edmonton to Calgary, right up to the Northwest Territories and Yukon — even Manitoba and Ontario," Roxburgh said.

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Roxburgh said the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife, N.W.T. was helpful in providing some history on the parka, but it wouldn't be a potential home for the piece.

The government-run museum said they aren't accepting any more of these particular jackets, as they already have too many.

Now, Goodwill is looking for another museum to help preserve the jacket.

"While we could sell it, while we could raise more funds for people with disabilities in helping them find gainful employment — at the end of the day, it's about doing what's right, and this is what's right."

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