Auction houses are often the source for great antique finds. There have been a lot of people who obtained magnificent jewelry, furniture and even art pieces that surprisingly costs a lot today.
While this seems to be something young adults and adults do, a young boy seems to have obtained a painting worth more than he hoped for.
A show where a group of appraisers visits city to city to appraise art seemingly found the youngest art collector. In this show, Antiques Roadshow, one of those experts, is David Weiss who appraised a painting for a young boy.
David’s specialty is with art paintings, sculpture, prints and oriental rugs, so he’s definitely credible for the job.
A young boy collects sterling silver, glass and art pieces. He gets his items from a local auction house and then sells the pieces for a higher price, online. For a young boy, he definitely has an eye for art and Weiss was definitely impressed on how the boy chooses the pieces. Ultimately, Weiss asked about the painting the boy bought with him.
The boy shared about the auction house and how he got the painting. He said, “The piece was found at an auction down South Jersey.” The boy continued, “It was so hot there my dad didn’t want to stay to get it, but I wanted to. So we waited an hour or so. We got it for $2. I thought it was watercolor, but we couldn’t tell because of the UV glass.”
Weiss confirmed the boy’s assumption and said, “You’re right, it’s watercolor.”
Then Weiss pointed out a signature in the painting. This got the boy’s attention.
The boy said, “I only know Albert,” explaining the blurry signature mark on the painting.
Weiss confirmed, “Albert is the first part of the name,” and the Weiss pointed at the next word beside it and said, “And this part, is Neuhuys.”
It appears that Albert Neuhuys is a Dutch painter born in 1844 and died in 1914, who paints scenes of a mother and child and subjects depicting everyday family life. Weiss estimates that the painting was made in the late 19th century. He then asked the boy how much does he think the painting is worth.
The boy pondered and replied, “A hundred and fifty bucks.”
Weiss agreed that it would reach that amount, but he also estimated that if the painting would be auctioned today, it could reach $1,000-1,500.
This earned a, “Whoa!” from the young boy who made a gesture of exploding from his ears.
Weiss commented, “Not bad for $2. So, I think you got a great career going on as an art dealer. You should keep at it.”
Overwhelmed, the boy said, “I think I’m gonna be rich,” and smiled widely.
Considering that his $2 investment paid off quite nicely, he might be. It’s amazing to see a kid quite this young collecting precious pieces from the past.