March 20 (UPI) -- An Ohio woman bought a painting for $2.99 at a thrift store and it ended up being auctioned for $2,875 when it was found to be the work of Johann Berthelsen.
Dayton resident Marissa Alcorn said she and her fiance stopped at a Goodwill store after dinner and were able to leave when she spotted an interesting frame on a cart brought out from the back by a store employee.
Alcorn told WDTN-TV she thought it was an "awful painting," but decided to buy it because it was only $2.99.
She said she was loading the painting into the car when something caught her eye.
"It had a little plaque at the bottom of the frame," Alcorn said. "Out of curiosity, I type in the name and find out it was Johann Berthelsen."
Berthelson, a famed American impressionist, died in 1972. His works often sell for thousands of dollars.
"My first thought was: 'This isn't real,'" she said. "It's probably just a fake."
Members of a free art appraisal group on Facebook urged her to have the painting authenticated, and she took it to Cincinnati auction house Caza Sikes, where experts confirmed it was indeed a Berthelson work titled "Chapel, St. Patrick's Church."
The painting sold for $2,875. Alcorn said the money will go toward her upcoming wedding.
"I think it's probably a once in a lifetime thing," she said. "I don't think I'll ever find something like that again, but you never know."
