A Michigan estate-sale shopper paid just $30 for a small seashell painting. After spotting a signature linking it to surrealist artist Gertrude Abercrombie, the buyer discovered the authenticated 1951 work carries an auction estimate of $150,000 to $250,000.
The collector, who regularly searched estate sales for record albums and mid-century furniture, arrived late to a Michigan sale in July, when most of the items had already been picked over. However, a dark corner of a hallway leading to the garage still held an unexpected find: a small slate-grey painting showing scattered seashells.
