Woman dug out $4 thrifted painting while cleaning house after years—she had no idea it was a gem worth $250K
Having an eye for detail can be richly rewarding. Even in the simplest circumstances, one can find a treasure if one only recognizes its worth. An antique enthusiast chanced upon this treasure at a thrift store, CNN reported. While she initially had no idea what it was and purchased the $4 painting on a whim, she was stunned to discover mind-boggling details about the piece. To her fortune, the artwork turned out to be an original and is now worth tens of thousands of dollars. Her finding and the painting’s journey to fame thereafter is a priceless story.
According to specialists at the Bonhams Skinner Auction House, the piece was found back in 2017 by the woman at the Savers thrift store in Manchester, New Hampshire. Stacked along with damaged posters and similar items, the woman never thought about the origin of the painting. She had initially purchased it for $4, joking that it might turn out to be an American artist, N.C. Wyeth’s original work. The art was taken home and like any buyer would, this woman, too, did a search but was unable to find any information on the piece. Since she had already purchased it, she decided to hang it up in her bedroom.
Having been there for years, the buyer finally decided to take it down and put it into her closet, where it spent another few years. Eventually, the painting was taken out of the closet and the woman gave it another shot by posting it on Facebook. She was urged to contact Lauren Lewis, a former curator who worked with paintings of three generations of the Wyeths: N.C. Wyeth, his son Andrew Wyeth and his grandson Jamie Wyeth. "A lot of people I know that are connected to the museum saw it and said this one has potential," an expert noted, per 12 News Now. When the expert spotted the work, she instantly made a baffling find. She was “99% certain that it was authentic,” the Boston Globe revealed.
After careful discussion with fellow experts, she was able to come to a conclusion. “My assessment of the condition was that, while it certainly had some small scratches and it could use a surface clean, it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years,” Lewis said. Turns out, the piece was likely made by the artist for publishers. It depicts an illustration of a young woman facing her elderly mother in a vintage home setting, along with a religious figure painted in the back. It is reportedly one of four paintings completed in 1939 for Helen Hunt Jackson’s book “Ramona,” originally published in 1884. It is the only painting discovered out of the four that he created and held tremendous value.
The woman who initially stumbled upon it for $4 was “thrilled” but also "overwhelmed" with her find. The piece, which is up for auction, is estimated to be $150,000 to $250,000. Lewis, too, added that the find is an “exciting” one. She is eager for the painting to receive its well-deserved recognition and hopes that the purchaser “will be willing to exhibit the painting so others can see it in the original!” The painting is reported to be up for sale this month.