A New Hampshire woman is in disbelief after she
learned that a painting she bought eight years ago for $4 is actually worth
$250,000.
The lucky buyer said that she made the purchase at a
Savers thrift store in Manchester in August 2017 while searching for frames to
fix up and resell.
The precious painting was hung in the woman’s bedroom
for several years before she removed it to a closet. Last May, she found it
while cleaning up her room.
She then decided to post a photo of the art piece on a
Facebook page and that’s when she learned its worth.
It turned out that the painting was the creation of
Massachusetts artist Newell Convers Wyeth and that it was part of a series of
four pieces made for the 1939 edition of Helen Hunt Jackson’s 1884 novel
Ramona.
“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,” said Maine conservator Lauren Lewis.
The artwork is
expected to go to auction on Sept. 19 with a bidding price of up to $250,000.
The unsuspecting owner of the valuable work of art said that she “joked about
it being a real panting.”