Imagine finding a priceless work of art for under $20. That’s the hope for a Pennsylvania antique shop owner who said a drawing she bought for $12 at an auction could possibly be the work of a legendary artist.
Heidi Marco, the owner of Salvage Goods in Easton told NBC10 she made a routine trip to an auction in Montgomery County back in January 2025 to look for items for her business.
“There were paintings that were going for $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 as they moved down the line,” she told NBC10. “And this was just sitting there.”
Marco bought a drawing for only $12. It wasn’t until she took a closer look however that she noticed a faint signature: Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Renoir was a French artist and painter born in 1841 who was known for his Impressionist artwork.
“It can go for six figures, seven figures, I don’t know,” Marco told NBC10.
Although the drawing hasn’t been appraised, Marco believes it could be a Renoir work from the 1920s. The writing on the back of the drawing suggests a Philadelphia art collector who donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art once owned it.
So is it the real deal? Marco will find out next month when she takes the drawing to the Wildenstein Plattner Institute.
“I don’t think it’s quite hit me yet,” Marco said. “Today, I just said, ‘Wow. These are the kind of things you read about it. It’s happening here.’”
