"Thrift Shop Treasure: $4 N.C. Wyeth Painting Set to Fetch $250,000 at Bonhams Auction"

A painting purchased for $4 at a thrift shop in New Hampshire has been identified as an oil panel illustration by artist N. C. Wyeth, estimated to be worth up to $250,000. The artwork, one of four cover illustrations for a 1939 edition of the novel Ramona, depicts the title character and her foster mother. After years of being hung up in the buyer's bedroom and then stored in a closet, the painting was rediscovered and authenticated by a conservator. It is scheduled to be auctioned in September.