Oak Ridge, NC - It's no Picasso painting, but Beth Feeback brought a Ilya Bolotowsky painting valued at $15,000 to $20,000 by Sotheby's. And she purchased it for the bargain price of $9.99.
"It's just something you are not expecting to happen," said Beth Feeback.
Feeback found the painting while searching for a blanket and a few other winter items at the Oak Ridge Goodwill store.
"I would have thought it was worth about 9.99."
Feeback told News 2's Tony Smith, if the painting cost $20 a piece at the store, she would have just purchased one of them. She went on to say that she would have just walked out with the larger one painting and that would have been the one that wasn't worth anything.
The canvas sparked the eyes of the buyer because a blank canvas is expensive.
"I was just going to paint something goofy on those giant canvases. I don't have any clue what I was going to paint," said Feeback.
Art experts say this Goodwill throw-away could earn thousands this Fall. Feeback says this is a Godsend because she was unemployed for more than 5 years.
"I almost painted on them but luckily I didn't," said Feeback.
And she was thankful because reps from Sotheby say she could get about 15,000 to $20,000.
"I've been doing this all my life...going to yard sales and thrift stores. And you think maybe I might be able to sell this on e-bay and make some money and make 20 bucks. You don't think I'm going to sell this at an auction house and make $20,000 bucks. You just don't think that doesn't cross your mind."
On September 21st, the painting will be auctioned off in New York City. But Feeback says, "Triad you might want to block your ears."
"I hope you just hear me screaming with joy all the way down 85 to Greensboro. I hope you will hear me, letting you know what happened."
The abstract painting was by a Russian-born and New York-based artist named Ilya Bolotowsky.
To connect with Beth Feeback and see some samples of her work, visit Beth Feeback's Website.
News 2 talked with Scott Noblett from Past Perfect Estate Services. He gave advice on how to look at stuff in your garage or at yard sales to determine if they were worth selling or keeping.
Noblett says you can see what items are selling for by looking at these two websites: www.rubylane.com and www.goantiques.com.
He says if you want a good apraisal, get it in person. And to be safe, have the piece appraised by more than one person.