'Antiques Roadshow' guest paid $300 for a painting in auction — then she found out its real value

There are times when you come across an interesting item at a garage sale or a thrift shop and buy it without thinking much. But when people bring such items to "Antiques Roadshow," they're shocked to realise that it's worth a fortune. That's what a guest learned about a LeRoy Neiman painting, which she paid just $300 for. According to the expert, Debra J. Force, the artwork was worth a whopping $10,000, which is way more than what the guest paid.

The guest started by mentioning, "Hugh Hefner had donated this and the magazine to back up the story behind it about 35 years ago, and we were at the Cherry Auction and decided to go ahead and bid on it. Then won it." The appraiser was amazed by the story as she noted that the artwork came from the renowned artist, LeRoy Neiman.

"He was a very popular artist. He was originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota and actually studied here in Chicago at The Art Institute. His claim to fame was painting all kinds of sports events, and he did portraits for some famous people. So whether it was Muhammad Ali or Sylvester Stallone. And in fact, LeRoy Neiman was actually in three of the Rocky movies because he knew Stallone," Force shared. She further added that Neiman was also an illustrator for Playboy Magazine for about 15 years, and the painting the guest brought was made for an article that the artist was writing about in his travels to Morocco.

"The title of the piece is East Meets West. And so, you've got the young American woman versus the Moroccan woman. And it is in fact in color in the magazine, in the issue January 1970 for Playboy," Force shared. Coming to the condition of the artwork, the expert noted that it was in fair shape. However, the mat had slipped inside the frame, due to which the signature of the artist wasn't visible. "So you need to definitely have this taken out and repositioned, and perhaps they can also flatten that bulge," Force advised.

The appraiser went on to note a few more features of the artwork that made it ever so unique and rare. As she explained the different marks around the painting, the guest said, "I learned a lot, wow." Force then asked the guest how much she paid for the item. "It's a long time, but I'm thinking around $300," the guest shared. "$300? Well Neiman died in 2012. And his work has continued to be popular. In terms of the Playboy subjects, the drawings that make the most money would be ones that actually show Playboy Bunnies," Force told the guest. However, she added that since the artwork was an actual illustration, at a gallery setting, it would be worth $10,000. "Really? I paid $300!" the guest exclaimed.

Watch the video here.

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