A Woman Purchased a Painting for $3 at Goodwill—It Turned Out to Be Worth Thousands

Earlier this year, an Ohio woman and her fiancé visited a Goodwill and left with a painting in a gold frame for $2.90. To her surprise, the unique find ended up being worth thousands.

On January 22, Marisa Alcorn shared her find in a now-viral TikTok. "I picked up this painting strictly for the frame, but after I got into the car and realized it was an actual painting and not a print, I decided to do some research," she said in the video.

After inspecting the painting closely, she discovered a plaque on the bottom of the frame with the name Johann Berthelsen. Alcorn did a quick Google search of the name, which revealed he was a famous American impressionist painter. She posted a photo of the painting on an art appraisal page on Facebook, where it was confirmed that she may have found an original Berthelsen.

This prompted her to contact experts for an official appraisal at the Caza Sikes art gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Appraiser and co-owner of the gallery, Will Sikes, told the couple he believed the painting could sell for $3,000 to $5,000.

In an update video posted on TikTok last month, Alcorn said the painting was featured in Caza Sike's February auction. "It lasted less than 30 seconds, but there was a serious bidding war. The price kept climbing until it finally sold for $2,300," she said. While Alcorn and her fiancé have to pay a commission fee for the sale, the rest of the money will go towards their wedding.