How and Why Art Collectors Buy at Thrift Stores
Valuable Paintings are Found Regularly in Second-Hand Shops
Sep 2, 2009
People find very valuable things in thrift shops every day, not just run-of-the-mill collectibles. They find everything from diamonds to signed first edition books. In recent years, vintage art is proving to be a worthwhile purchase in thrift shops, especially for those in-the-know.
The Dali Collection
On August 28th, 2009, New York Times reporter, Kate Murphy, reported that a Salvation Army thrift shop in Houston, Texas had several works of art by Spanish artist Salvador Dali up for auction. The works were donated anonymously.
Suite 101 spoke to Juan Alanis, media relations manager with Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command, and he validated that the highest bid as of Sept. 2nd., 2009 was at $9000, with the auction closing on September 15th., 2009. Mr. Alanis said. "This is not the first time we received a donation from this particular donor." In reference to provenance, he added. "When the Salvador Dali pieces were donated to us they came with authenticity documents from the donor."
Original works by Salvador Dali can fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
17th Century Painting Hidden in Sofa
In October, 2007, Fox News reported how an anonymous German student found a small painting hidden inside a sofa she had purchased at a thrift shop. The painting was a rare 17th century piece by an unknown artist, and it sold at a Hamburg auction for over $27 K.
Edouard-Leon Cortes Painting
In the same year, an early 20th century painting of a Paris street scene turned up at a Goodwill thrift store in Maryland. The work was painted by impressionist painter, Edouard-Leon Cortes and titled Marche aux fleurs. The painting was held back from the bins of bric-a-brac and sold at Sotheby's for $46 K.
Federico Del Campo Paintings
In June, 2009, Toronto Star reporter Raveena Aulakh reported on art finds in a Toronto Goodwill store. An unknown donor dropped off two paintings of European scenes that the store manager thought might be important antique works. They were. Both were signed by Federico Del Campo, who was a well-known 19th century artist. They were sold at Waddingtons for a total of $150 K.
Investing in Thrift Shop Art
Thrift Shop art investments won't affect the purchaser's pocket book greatly. She could certainly take $20 or $50 a month from her entertainment budget to put toward those purchases. In most cases, a thoughtful purchase in thrift shop vintage art can give the purchaser a good return if sold at online auctions. Not all art is held back by thrift shop employees.
Determining the Age of Thrift Shop Art
The age of a piece doesn't necessarily reflect the value, but it's certainly worthwhile investing a few dollars in an antique painting simply for the love of art or the art of the possible.
Study the back of the painting for clues to its age. According to Carol Prisant in her book Antique Roadshow Primer, 1999, very old canvas was made with hand-woven linen, so the texture will be rough and it will have darkened with age. New canvas has a smooth texture and is pristine or bright and clean looking.
Old canvas would have been nailed to a wooden stretcher or frame, not stapled and the wood stretcher will have darkened with age. The stretchers for newer paintings are bright and clean with the look of fresh lumber.
Antique watercolors are generally very fragile. They will likely have "foxing," or little brown age spots. Most watercolors hide their texture behind glass and frame, but a magnifying glass will help determine if it's a print or an original watercolor. Little dots are clearly visible on prints.
Some Tips for Buying Thrift Shop Art
- Learn a little about art before beginning. Learn the difference between oil and acrylic. Oil has more of a sheen than acrylic. Unless an acrylic painting as been varnished, acrylic looks dry. In most cases, oil paintings and watercolors have more value than acrylic.
- Always look for originals. Some signed and numbered prints may have value, depending on the artist's popularity, but they don't have the value of the originals.
- Learn how to know an impressionist painting from a cubist or realist painting.
- If the price tag is $2 and the buyer is uncertain of its potential as an investment, she should just buy it, rather than lose an opportunity. Even $2 can get $5.
- Not all art has great value. A piece bought for $5 may only see a return of $30 or possibly $100. So the owner could still see a nice profit.
- Love the painting and others may love it too.
Valuable or rare art is found in thrift shops every day. Not all will be signed Dali, nor will they be 17th century old master works, but good paintings do show up in the unlikeliest of places. The search is not only fun, but a rewarding earning and learning experience.
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