Canadian resident Steven Burgess bought a painting at a thrift shop for $96, but later found out that its value exceeds $20,000, reports UPI.
Burgess said he regularly buys paintings at thrift stores, and on his last visit to Value Village, a canvas in an ornate frame caught his eye.
“I thought for $96 I’d get a beautiful frame,” he admitted in an interview.
On closer inspection of the back of the painting, Burgess discovered oil brush strokes around the perimeter of the canvas below the frame. This could indicate only one thing — the painting is original.
For the sake of interest, the young man typed the artist’s signature into Google and was surprised to find that the painting was by the Dutch landscape painter Gerriten Weimer, born in 1870.
One of the artist’s most famous paintings, “Mountain Mist,” was recently sold at auction for $200,000, indicating that Burgess’ find could be worth much more than he paid.
Weimer’s paintings are now selling for between $20,000 and $350,000, depending on their condition. At the moment the Canadian is in search of a professional appraiser, who will confirm the authenticity of the work of art.
Earlier it was reported that at the auction will be put up a collection of works of Pablo Picasso worth more than $104 million.
