A boy’s mind was blown when an appraiser revealed the true value of his $2 item he bought at a garage sale.
On the PBS reality show Antiques Roadshow, where antiques collectors learn what trash they can turn into treasures, a boy showed off a painting he bought at a garage sale he attended with his father.
“You must be the youngest collector I’ve ever seen,” appraiser David Weiss said admiringly to the boy.
“I guess so,” he replied.
The young collector told the appraiser that he specialized in collecting glass, sterling silver and art, and that he sold them online for a profit.
A boy’s mind was blown when an appraiser revealed the true value of his $2 item he bought at a garage sale.
On the PBS reality show Antiques Roadshow, where antiques collectors learn what trash they can turn into treasures, a boy showed off a painting he bought at a garage sale he attended with his father.
He then showed Weiss a painting he had brought to the exhibition for an appraisal.
The piece was found at an auction in South Jersey, to which the young man dragged his father despite the unbearably hot weather.
He and his father waited more than an hour for the piece to be offered, and he got the simple painting for $2.
“I thought it was a watercolor, but we couldn’t make it out because of the ultraviolet glass,” he told the appraiser.
Weiss confirmed that what he found was actually a watercolor painting and then pointed out that there was a signature in the lower right corner.
The boy could only make out the first name from the signature: “Albert.”
That’s when Weiss revealed that the painting was signed by artist Albert Neuhuys, a Dutch painter who was born in 1844 and died in 1914. He also said that the watercolor was probably done in the last quarter of the 19th century.
“Today, if your Albert Neuhuys watercolor came to auction, it would probably sell for between $1,000 and $1,500.”
The young man’s eyes lit up and his mouth hung open. The only words he could say were: “Wow.”
‘Its a lot of money. Not bad for two dollars,” the appraiser said. “I think you’ve got a great career as an art dealer if you keep it up.”
The appraiser revealed that the painting was signed by the artist Albert Neuhuys, a Dutch painter who was born in 1844 and died in 1914. He also said that the watercolor was probably made in the last quarter of the 19th century.
“Today, if your Albert Neuhuys watercolor were up for auction, it would probably sell for between $1,000 and $1,500,” the appraiser told the young man.
“I think I’m going to be rich,” the boy said without missing a beat.
“Well, if you keep buying things like this, I think you have a good chance of getting rich, you have an advantage,” Weiss said.