Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest gasps in disbelief after her $25 yard sale find gets a massive appraisal (marketrealist.com)
A $25 yard sale find turned into a nearly $100,000 treasure for one lucky “Antiques Roadshow” guest, leaving her speechless and her kids eating their words.
This lucky guest, a self-proclaimed yard sale enthusiast, revealed she often faced teasing from her sons about her hobby. Ignoring their pleas to stop, she stumbled upon a folder containing several artistic prints for just $25. Little did she know, this unassuming purchase would soon turn her into the envy of art collectors everywhere.
Appraiser Robin Starr quickly identified the prints as works by renowned artists, including Edward Hopper and Kenneth Hayes Miller. The guest’s $25 investment included a print from Hopper’s “Six American Etchings: The ‘New Republic’ Portfolio,” published in 1924. A second print, by Kenneth Hayes Miller, was also part of the same portfolio, strengthening the collection’s provenance.
Starr carefully evaluated each piece, starting with the Miller print. While its condition wasn’t perfect, Starr estimated its auction value between $80 and $120. Things were about to get much more interesting.
The next print, a John Marin titled “Brooklyn Bridge Six Swaying,” was in excellent condition. Starr’s appraisal?
A staggering $15,000 to $25,000. The guest gasped in disbelief, relieved she hadn’t left that particular gem behind at the yard sale.
Saving the best for last, Starr revealed the value of the Edward Hopper print, arguably one of the artist’s most recognizable. Its estimated auction value? A jaw-dropping $30,000 to $50,000, leaving the guest nearly in tears.
The total value of the collection approached $100,000, a life-changing sum for the yard sale enthusiast. Starr jokingly asked if her kids would still give her grief.
The guest’s response? A resounding “No, they better not!”