'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'oh my golly' after hearing value of a painting locked in her closet

Precious items that may be locked away and forgotten for a long time in the house often turn out to be more valuable than expected on “Antiques Roadshow.” When a guest brought one such item to the show, all she could say after the appraisal was, “Oh my golly!” She had brought a couple of framed pictures, and one of them wasn’t worth a lot of money, but the other one’s value left her in sheer disbelief. It was a lithograph made by the eminent American painter Grant Wood.

The expert, Todd Weyman, claimed that Wood was the “top artist” during the 1930s and 1940s as he inspected the lithograph. The artist was known for his regionalist themes, and that’s something collectors find interesting, according to the expert. This picture was of horses in a field, which made it highly valuable. The reputation of the artist also added a lot more value to it.

The other picture was described as an “etching” made by Samuel Margolies. Weyman said that he was well-known as a printmaker working in New York City. He was known for painting urban cityscapes with buildings and skyscrapers. However, the painting that the guest had brought to the show was made in a suburban setting. Margolies was a good painter, but not as popular as Wood.

The guest also said that the Margolies painting would fetch between $800 to $1,200 at auction. However, the value of the Wood lithograph was shocking as far as the guest was concerned. Weyman said that it would bring around $6,000 to $9,000 at auction, and that he’d put a replacement value of $18,000 to $20,000 on it. The guest, who wasn’t expecting this, said “Oh my golly,” in a state of shock.

This wasn't the first time a Grant Wood lithograph surprised a guest on “Antiques Roadshow.” On a different episode of the show, an elderly woman showed up with another Wood lithograph. This one was titled ‘Fertility’ and it showed a barn and a house standing behind a field of crops. The expert said that this lithograph was one of his most popular works.

“I believe one of his more popular lithographs because the scenery resembles American Gothic,” the expert added. He revealed that there were some mat stains under the lithograph inside the frame, but reassured that it would not deteriorate the value of the item much. When the time came for its appraisal, the expert said that a fair insurance value on it would be in the range of $10,000 to $12,000.

The guest wasn’t expecting this and said, “Oh my. I’m very surprised.” Wood’s greatest and most popular work is considered to be ‘American Gothic’. It came out in 1930 and has become an iconic part of American art history. It’s no surprise that his lithographs have been able to fetch such high valuations.