That Shiny Red Nose-Print
Bought for: $12.34
Sold at: n/a – appraised for $9,000
Goodwill seems to be the place to be when you’re looking for something that might be worth than you paid for it. A few years ago, Karen Mallet was taking a look through the store,w hen she found an abstract print with black and white lines, and a giant red nose. While she didn’t love the picture, she was interested in the signature in the corner – one Alexander Calder. Not sure if it was real, she bought it anyways and brought it home.
Mallet started researching the artist when she got home and found out that he had created lithographs (authorized copies) that were similar to her own print. Convinced that it, and the signature were real, she took it to be authenticated, which it was.
It turns out that her copy was the 55th out of 75 lithographs of the piece, that have been printed since 1969. A fine art company set the value of it at $9,000 and while she’s decided to keep it for now, it’s only a matter of time until the value shoots up to a point where she’ll be crazy not to sell it.