Man bought Goodwill painting for $3; it later sold for $190,000
A man purchased a painting for $3 at a Goodwill store, only to discover later that it was a 17th-century Flemish work. The painting eventually sold at auction for $190,000.
Why it matters
The story highlights the potential for significant value discovery in thrift markets and the importance of expert appraisal.
A $3 purchase at a South Carolina Goodwill store turned into one of the most remarkable thrift-store art discoveries in recent memory. The buyer, a former antiques dealer identified only by his middle name, Leroy, spotted an oil painting in an antique frame and assumed it might be worth a few hundred dollars. His daughter-in-law later took it to Antiques Roadshow, where appraisers revealed it was a 17th-century Flemish work from around 1650. In March 2012, the painting sold at auction in Massachusetts for $190,000, according to reporting by Mental Floss and Ksl.com.A frame that caught a trained eyeLeroy, then 81, was browsing his local Goodwill when he came across a framed still life of a dinner table.His background as a former antiques dealer gave him a practical eye for age and quality.
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