THERE are loads of hidden gems in second-hand shops if you’re willing to look for them, and this couple proved just that.
Marisa Macy and her partner picked up an old painting for a few quid when she spotted it in Goodwill, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Originally, the savvy shopper only wanted the artwork for the posh frame it was in, so coughed up the £2.40 to take it home.
It was only then that she realised the artwork in the frame was a real painting, not just a print.
She took to TikTok to show off the find, and explained how she verified her suspicions that the piece could be worth something, leaving users stunned.
In the viral clip, which has now amassed over 418,00 views, Marisa revealed the artwork was Johann Berthelsen.
She said: “I decided to do some research and found that it was purchased in an art gallery in St. Louis in 1912.”
She then decided to have it appraised by a group on Facebook, who told her the painting was not only real, but could be worth something.
That’s when she went to the Caza Sikes art gallery in Cincinnati to meet with an art curator.
“When we arrived, Will the art curator told us our painting would likely sell for somewhere in the region of $3,000 to $5,000 [£2,374 to £3,957],” she explained.
The painting then went to auction, which lasted only 30 seconds before someone bought it.
The piece ended up selling for £1,821 after a very fast bidding war.
However, the auction house took their 15% commission, meaning their final earnings were just over £1,584.
Marissa urged fellow TikTok users to look for hidden gems in charity shops, because you never know what you might find.
After sharing the video viewers were impressed, and one commented: “Honestly a win-win situation. You made some money and the painting will be appreciated by its new owner.”
“Wow that’s actually insane, great find,” a second wrote.
And a third chimed in: “Good to see it will now be loved and seen again.”
“Congrats! So happy for you and now the painting can be appreciated,” another said.
Meanwhile, the video inspired others to get some of their art finds appraised.
“I have a painting with it’s own documents sealed in the back, I don’t know where to take it to have it sold legitimately,” one said.
And another was in a similar situation: “I found something that’s vintage and an exact replica sold for thousands, I just need to find out if it’s real.”
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis’s charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
