An art collector named Andy Fields was scouring garage sales and the like in Las Vegas for valuable items when he came across one where he found five interesting paintings for $5. After he purchased them he decided to examine them more closely and a mysterious sketch of 1930s singer Rudy Valle hidden behind one of the artworks. The artist behind the work turned out to be by Andy Warhol and the piece was valued at $2 million.
In 1989, a Philadelphia financial analyst visited a flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania and purchased an old, torn painting for $4 because he wanted the frame. Much to his surprise, when he removed the frame he found hidden behind the artwork a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence that sold at auction in 1991 for $2.42 million.
Tony Marohn found and purchased Palmer Union Oil stock certificates from an estate sale in 2008 for $5, hoping that he had something valuable on his hands. After doing some research Marohn discovered a link between the company and Coca-Cola, and he insisted that they made good on the certificates.
Though he passed away, his family continued to insist that his shares were worth $130 million. The final decision from the courts, unfortunately, was that Coca-Cola did not have to honour these shares.
A painter named Rick Norsigian purchased in 2002 a set of glass plates that had images of Yosemite National Park printed on them. He was attracted to the composition of the photos and paid $45 to take them home. It wasn’t long after that he found out that the glass plates were the work of famed photographer, Ansel Adams. At first, Norsigian sold some prints for only $7,500 until he found out later that the discovery was worth a much more at $200 million.