Garage Sale Surprise as Antiques Roadshow Guest Chokes Up Over Five-Figure Painting
A $20 garage sale painting brings an Antiques Roadshow guest to tears after its true value—and a heartfelt connection to his late wife—are revealed.
What started as a $20 garage sale gamble turned into a life-affirming moment on Antiques Roadshow, leaving one guest—and much of the audience—choked up.
Filmed in Urbandale, Iowa, the recent Roadshow episode featured a guest who brought in a painting he had picked up on a whim. “I saw it sitting on the floor at a garage sale,” he explained to the appraiser. “They had $25 on it, so I hollered at them and asked if they’d take $20. They said yes.”
As it turned out, it was quite possibly the best twenty bucks he’s ever spent.
Appraiser Laura Woolley revealed the painting was the work of Robert Riggs, an American illustrator best known for his gritty depictions of prize fights and circus life. This particular piece was an original illustration for the Saturday Evening Post, used to accompany W.C. Heinz’s short story The Fixed Fight.
“Well, that’s quite a buy,” Woolley told him. “At auction, I feel easily this could bring between $70,000 and $90,000.”
The stunned guest’s eyes widened. “Holy cow! Wow, I never dreamed of that! That’s amazing,” he said, visibly emotional.
Woolley, too, was moved. “You made such a find, and this is the best find I’ve ever witnessed.”
But the story didn’t end there.
The guest had attended Antiques Roadshow wearing a photo of his wife pinned to his chest. “She just recently passed,” he said. “I wasn’t going to come, but my son talked me into it because my wife got the tickets for me.”
Online viewers were quick to react, many in tears themselves. One wrote, “I’m gonna need tissues for an appraisal? Cool painting… $20, what a steal… OMG $70-90K?!… UGHHHH HIS WIFE!!! It’s like she gave him one last present and a little financial stability with those tickets.” Another added, “She’s your angel and led you there.”
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