A charity shopper in the US believes he has found a valuable painting by mid-century artist Stanley Sobossek after purchasing it for just over a fiver ($7) at a thrift store. Mark Harrington, who regularly visits thrift shops, was drawn to the artwork depicting a house with a bicycle propped against it, but it was the signature that sparked his excitement.
Discovery at a Thrift Store
Speaking to Newsweek, Harrington recounted: “Saturday morning, I was at one of my favourite thrift stores. By pure chance, I thumbed through a bin of wall hangings before I left and found the Stan Sobossek painting... The painting caught my eye because the subject was an antique store, and I thought it would make good décor for my hobby space.”
He added: “Needless to say, I grabbed it and did my best to remain calm while checking out. It was priced at $14.99, and they gave me 50% off for some reason.”
Potential Value and Authenticity
Stanley Sobossek, born in New York in 1918, was an American oil painter active in the mid-20th century. His most notable achievement was winning first prize at the New York City Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit in September 1955 for his painting titled Mechanic Street, New Hope. Some of his works have fetched thousands at auction.
Harrington estimated his find could be worth up to $2,000 (£1,500), noting that exhibition pieces can sell for as much as $6,000 (£4,500). He plans to have it appraised.
Online Reaction
After sharing his find on Reddit, the post received over 2,400 upvotes and numerous comments. While some praised the painting as “very pretty,” others questioned its authenticity. One commenter noted: “I don't want to sound negative but it seems like a print from the scratch on the bottom. It looks like the strokes are mass produced but it is not a lot of info to go off of with the single closeup. A lot of paintings have a simulated brush stroke pattern that look similar.”
Another agreed: “That’s exactly what I thought. The brush strokes are going across the picture, not in the directions of where they would be if real.”
Despite the doubts, many still admired the find. A fellow thrifting enthusiast commented: “I hope for your sake gets an original, but if it's not, I still absolutely love this painting. By the way, the nails are super easy to pull out of the back if you wanna take it out and look at it yourself.”
