UTE, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) – More than 20 years ago, Steve Thies bought a piece of artwork for $5. He had no idea how priceless it would be in 2024.
“I about flipped,” the collector from Ute, Iowa said. “Because when I saw it was the only one and the certificate, she signed it, that means a lot.”
Back in May, Thies was cleaning out his chicken shed when he found a pile of pictures he bought from a house sale. Despite sitting in the shed for 20 years, one of the pieces was in mint condition.
“I was amazed myself that it was in there, and that I’ve let it sit there for so long,” he said. “And to come out like that, yeah, that’s really good.”
The piece had a certificate of authenticity on the back signed by artist Alice Woodrome, whose work ranged from watercolors to quilted portraits.
“It’s really cool because she’s got the sewing on there and then plus the paint on this kind of cloth,” Thies said. “She did a good job, it’s nice.”
Since Woodrome’s passing in 2021, Thies estimates that the piece is worth $25,000.
“I’d like to sell it, but you know, when you find stuff like this it’s hard to do that because it’s something special that you find,” he said.
As someone who has collected for 35 years, Thies knows how special this particular find was.
“I’m proud that I even found it,” he said. “It’s a gamble when you do this stuff. You don’t know what you’re getting.”
Thies said he has a few more pieces from the shed that he is doing more research on.