VANCOUVER.- Everyone dreams that they’ll stumble across something at a garage sale that’s worth a fortune, but most of us acknowledge the fact that the chances of that are pretty slim. Slim, yes, but not impossible, as one BC resident discovered after picking up a couple of pieces of art in an East Vancouver garage sale.

Turns out not only were those pieces worth more than the $50 each they paid, one of them is a piece of Canadian legacy: a previously unknown work by Tom Thomson, a prominent Canadian artist in the early 20th century who inspired the legendary Group of Seven artists. .

When the consigner walked into Maynards Fine Art and Antiques with a couple of dirty paintings in a shopping bag for appraisal, it would’ve been easy to miss the unique characteristics of the sketch. In fact, the consigner didn’t even pull it out to begin with, thinking it less likely to be worth anything. But contemporary arts specialist, Kate Bellringer, had a gut feeling she went with, though she had every reason not to, starting a two-month long authentication process.

That gut feeling was rewarded when, after her due diligence process, numerous Thomson experts from across Canada confirmed their positive opinion that it was indeed authentic, likely painted in the spring/summer of 1915.

The consigner was understandably thrilled with the news, and decided to place the piece in Maynards’ Contemporary & Canadian Art Auction, which happens on May 16th. Considering that another found Thomson recently sold for $170,000, it’s expected to do quite well – particularly for a $50 investment. Beyond that, though, Maynards is thrilled to be part of such an important discovery for Canadian art.

It’s an exciting time for the consigner, the company and for Canadian art as well.