She Paid $15 for This Painting at a Garage Sale… Until This Happened on Antiques Roadshow

No sir. Yes sir. Chase some crow. Oh wow, a lot more than I thought. Wow, that's unbelievable. I know you're kidding me. I'm not kidding you. These paintings looked ordinary, forgotten, or even downright scary. But some turned out to be worth tens of thousands, with one reaching $125,000. Let's count down from number seven. Number seven. Charles Joseph Gripsley's painting spent 55 years hanging in a house full of smokers, leaving them covered in grime and nicotine. Were you smokers in your family? My parents were, and they hung on their walls for 55 years. Oh my goodness, that's quite a long time, because they are incredible. They're covered in sort of grime and nicotine and smoke and everything else, aren't they? But that's not a worry. In fact, in a way, that sort of preserved them. And what we should really do at some point is probably take them to a professional restorer and get them cleaned, because I think you'll suddenly see how wonderful these pictures are and how bright the colors are. But underneath all that dirt was a valuable Belgian still life. The owner had been told it was worth just £500. The appraiser disagreed. When it's cleaned, you will see all its potential. I think he missed out on naught. I think it's £5,000. It's such a great picture, and it's got everything that a buyer would want. And valued it at around £5,000. And if you enjoy finding hidden treasures like this, hit subscribe. We've got six more coming. Number six, Domingo Ulloa. This painting was bought at a yard sale for just $15, while the owner was supposed to be buying eggs. I brought a painting by Domingo Ulloa. He's a local artist from El Centro. Little information I have about him is the California State Assembly passed a resolution declaring him the father of Chicano art. One Saturday morning, my wife sent me to go get some eggs. And I happened to be driving by a yard sale, and the painting caught my eye. And I asked the gentleman if it was for sale. He said it was. I said, I'll be right back when I get back from the market. I purchased it. His wife even thought it was too ugly to hang. How long ago did you purchase the painting? I purchased this in 2010. And then you took it home and put it up on the wall? No, my wife said it was too ugly to go on the wall. But the artist, Domingo Ulloa, was an important figure in Chicano art. The theme in the 1960s and 70s had more to do with that kind of revolutionary communist theme rather than abstract expressionism and modern art, which was popular in America in the 60s and 70s. But now things are changing. There's more of an interest in Chicano art and Chicano culture. And I think what's going to happen is that it's going to become something that happens more and more, that there will be more and more interest. If I was going to put it at auction, I'd put an auction estimate on it of $3,000 to $5,000. Very nice. That $15 purchase could now bring $3,000 to $5,000. Number five, the scary portrait. For years, this portrait was hidden in a back room because the family was literally scared of it. It's been passed down for generations on my mother's side of the family, and she's from the East Coast, Providence, Newport, Rhode Island area. It's known as the scary portrait. When I grew up, this was in our summer house in a back room. It wasn't presented to everybody because we were all scared of it. Now it's the centerpiece of their dining room. The artist remains unknown, but the painting itself was surprisingly valuable. But in this particular case, I think the subject matter and the way that it's rendered and just the poignancy of the whole scene draws you in. I guess that's why you have so many people in for dinner that want to talk about it. Right. I mean, just walking through here today, every other person was like, wow. It's just a fabulous thing. And a conservative auction estimate would be $6,000 to $8,000. And we think for insurance purposes, it probably would be around $15,000. Wow. That's unbelievable. The insurance value, $15,000. Would you hang this in your house? Let me know in the comments and subscribe if you take the chance. Number four, Sir William Beachy. The family thought this painting might have been by either Romney or Lawrence. The appraiser had a different idea. And was there any indication at all of an artist at all? Well, apparently at the time, it was claimed to be a Romney. But in this correspondence, that was denied. And it was said to be Mrs. K. Well, that's very interesting. You mentioned here two of the main British portrait painters of the 18th and 19th century, following on from Gainsborough and Reynolds. And in my opinion, I don't think it's by either of those two artists. He believed it was the work of Sir William Beachy, dating to around 1800. And the family's last valuation was almost unbelievable. I think it's gone up a little bit since then. I would think that a picture like this, fully accepted as by Sir William Beachy, is probably going to be worth somewhere in the region of sort of 15, maybe as much as 20,000 pounds. Well, it's in very nice condition. From less than five pounds to as much as 20,000 pounds. Number three, Adelaide Chase. This portrait had been in the family for generations, and it was painted when the guest's mother was just four years old. Painted when she was four years old by an artist named Adelaide Chase from Boston. What I heard growing up was everybody in Boston had their portraits painted by Adelaide Chase at one period in time. We have a portrait of her mother and on my dad's side, two portraits. Also painted by her. Yes. And the original Boston made frame made the piece even more special. So for insurance purposes, I'd insure it for $32,000. No sir. Yes sir. Jason Crow. The entire piece was insured for $32,000. We're getting into the big money now. If you haven't subscribed yet, this is your sign because number one is worth more than all of these combined. Number two, William McGregor Paxton. This painting connected three generations of one family. Paxton had been a student of the guest's great-grandfather and later taught her grandmother. The paintings by Paxton, the student of my great-grandfather, Joseph DeCamp, and the teacher of my grandmother, Sally being my grandmother. Isn't that great? And yes, we can see in the lower right that it's actually signed Paxton and dedicated to Sally. What do you know about your great-grandfather, Joseph DeCamp? I know him as a famous person, not really as a personality. He was very well renowned. And of course, he was a fabulous figure painter, but he also did landscapes. One of his claims to fame was that he painted Teddy Roosevelt from life. He even dedicated this painting to her. There are a few darkened areas in the upper right here, and possibly the varnish is discolored a bit, so it might need a cleaning. I'm familiar with the market for the artist. My feeling is that if this were offered in a gallery, it would probably sell in the range of $45,000. Oh, wow. A lot more than I thought. The appraiser valued it at around $45,000, but don't go anywhere. Our number one is nearly three times that. Number one, Privateers of 76. A mother secretly saved $5 a week for two years to buy her husband a painting he would love. My mother wanted to give my father a gift that he would really love, and he loved reading to his children books that had illustrations. And this is one of the illustrations. She knew how much he would love to get one of those, so she decided that she needed to make this a secret. So what she did was she saved $5 from her food money every week for probably two years. Oh, wow. And didn't tell him this. Right. And then either his birthday or their anniversary gave him a card that said, you can go down to the Schoonover Studios and pick out a painting. The family eventually visited the Schoonover Studios and picked one themselves. Decades later, that sentimental gift made its way to Antiques Roadshow. The painting, of course, is oil on canvas and looks like the original frame. This painting is dated in the lower right, 23, 1923, and that's when the novel was first published. He is popular as an illustrator nationwide. If this were in a gallery, I think that it would sell in the range of $125,000. I know you're kidding me. I'm not kidding you. It's a wonderful, yes. Really? It's a wonderful painting. My father would be so thrilled. $125,000. What started as a gift bought with years of small savings became a six-figure family treasure. Which painting would you choose? Tell me in the comments and subscribe to Roadshow Heirlooms for more incredible Antiques Roadshow finds.