$30 hidden house clearance painting breaks auction record with $1.35 million sale

In a garage sale, an art enthusiast from Michigan stumbled upon a small oil painting, unnoticed by others, which would later sell for an astonishing $1.35 million. The painting, titled "Alderman Merriam’s Shells," was created in 1951 by American artist Gertrude Abercrombie. The buyer, who had purchased it for just $30, recognized the signature on the canvas and traced its history to the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Art historian Susan Weininger authenticated the work, revealing it had been in the same family's possession for around 75 years and was initially given by Abercrombie to a physician in exchange for medical services. The painting, which had been out of public view for decades, was consigned to Freeman’s auction house in New York.

The sale broke records, with bidding starting at $80,000 and reaching $1,352,600, including the buyer’s premium, making it the first Abercrombie painting to sell for over $1 million.