South Carolina Man Buys Painting For $3 And Sells It For $190,000

A Painting Bought For $3 Is Sold For $190,000

A year and a half ago, an 81-year-old man stopped by a Goodwill store in Anderson County, SC., and bought a painting for $3.

Last week, he sold it for $190,000.

The man, who only wants to be known by his middle name 'Leroy', told WISTV.com that he only bought the painting because he thought it might be worth "$100 or a couple hundred on the Internet".

His daughter-in-law, however, thought the painting might be worth a little more. She visited the Antiques Roadshow and got an initial appraisal of $20,000 to $30,000.

Over the weekend, at an auction house in Massachusetts, the painting -- which turned out to be a Flemish work of art from 1650 -- sold for over six times that.

"It's the biggest find I've ever had," said Leroy, a former antiques dealer and avid thrift store shopper. "I can only thank Goodwill for that."

Leroy will split the money with his son and daughter-in-law, and use his portion of the profits for some home improvement.

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