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Remember the old proverb: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure? Well, that was never truer than in the case of this story from 2014. Moreover, it was only a young boy who experienced it first-hand. The story comes from New Jersey when in an Antiques Roadshow episode, an unknown boy brought a painting into the show. David Weiss, a professional auctioneer and a host on the show, offered to appraise the true value of the painting.
When Weiss told the boy the true value, needless to say, the boy was shocked beyond belief. Well, we were too, actually, and we bet you might find it surprising as well.
The Unique Antiques Roadshow Episode
On the episode of Antiques Roadshow, the boy had talked about how he got a hold of that painting. He said that he liked visiting local auctions and buying old silverware pieces or paintings that he can later sell for profit.
So, in one such auction, he was with his dad when the painting caught the boy’s attention. The painting was of a mother sitting on a chair, with her child sitting on another chair beside her. However, his father did not think that the painting was worth anything significant. But the little boy’s insistence paid off. In the end, he managed to buy it for only $2.
Read: Take a tour inside the tiny house that sold for $1.8 million
Now came Weiss’ turn to give his verdict for the Antiques Roadshow audience. The first thing he said was that the painting probably dated back to as old as 1844. He pointed out a watercolor symbol. From it, Weiss learned that Albert Neuhuys was the painter. Neuhuys was among the most famous 19th Century Dutch artists.
Weiss then explained to the boy how the painting was a pristine example of that era’s style. During that period, painters would usually prefer to paint watercolor scenes of the interior depicting women sitting alongside their children.
The Final Verdict On The Painting
After Weiss was done examining the painting, he turned to the boy with one last question – how much did he estimate its value to be? The boy was confident in his response – $150. Weiss agreed with the estimate. However, he believed that the true worth of the painting was way more than the boy’s estimate.
As such, in the final twist in the Antiques Roadshow episode, Weiss explained that paintings like this one usually have a price tag of $1000 to $1500 when they are put up for auction. Weiss’ final assessment was that this particular painting had a value of $1498!
Read: Man Keeps Rock For Years, Hoping It’s Gold. It Turned Out to Be Far More Valuable
The boy was both shocked and overjoyed at Weiss’ verdict. He could only reply that he thinks he will be rich when Weiss asked him about his thoughts. Weiss, in his turn, was happy seeing the reaction of the boy.
He gave him a final pat on the back and commended him. He said that more smart purchases like this would ensure financial success for the boy. The boy, though, hoped to be an art dealer one day.
The boy definitely had a fantastic start to that journey! We hope he has been doing well and become even more of an expert. But let us know what you think of $2 turning out to be $1500! Trash to treasure, indeed.
Keep Reading: Bored Security Guard Doodles Eyes on $1M Painting on First Day on Job
Sources
- “Albert Neuhuys Watercolor | Richmond, Hour 1 Preview.” Youtube. Antiques Roadshow PBS. May 13, 2014.