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GUEST: I'm a lifelong 
thrifter, and I thrift 
when I'm stressed. And I

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thrift everything. I'm an 
occupational therapist in a 
level-one trauma hospital.

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APPRAISER: Wow.

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GUEST: And, uh, work on, 
uh, rehabbing people with 
catastrophic injuries. 
And one Saturday morning,

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it had been kind of a stressful 
day at work. I was at Goodwill 
first thing in the morning,

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and I kind of saw, in the 
painting section, I noticed 
there was a little plaque here,

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which is like what you would 
see in a museum. So I thought 
it looked like a real painting,

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and I picked it up 
and put it in my cart.

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APPRAISER: And when was that?

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GUEST: About two years ago.

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APPRAISER: So, pandemic time.

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GUEST (breathes deeply): Yes.

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APPRAISER: Working 
in a hospital, yeah.

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GUEST: I work in 
a hospital, yeah.

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APPRAISER: Is highly 
stressful, God.

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GUEST: It was pretty 
stressful, yes.

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APPRAISER: Amazing.

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GUEST: I mean, I thrifted 
before that, but then it kind 
of was, like, my therapy.

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APPRAISER: So what did you 
actually pay for this painting?

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GUEST: Uh, $15.99.

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APPRAISER: So, Le Pho was 
born in North Vietnam in 1907. 
Vietnam was French-occupied

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at the time. He studied at the 
École des Beaux-Arts there, 
the School of Fine Arts...

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GUEST: Yep.

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APPRAISER: ...and ultimately 
went to Paris and studied at the 
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

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He had three very distinct 
periods. His early 
work is very nostalgic,

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very lush landscapes. His 
Paris period, he starts 
to do family subjects.

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GUEST: Okay.

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APPRAISER: And this 
dates from what's called 
his Findlay period.

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GUEST: Oh, okay.

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APPRAISER: Probably 
made in the 1960s.

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GUEST: Okay.

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APPRAISER: And it's more broadly 
painted, impressionistic. He had

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gone back to Vietnam to 
teach art and ultimately 
went back to Paris,

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where he was discovered by the 
gallerist Wally Findlay. The 
frame is original to the piece.

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GUEST: Ah.

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APPRAISER: This was styled 
by Findlay Galleries for 
almost every work by Le Pho.

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GUEST: Okay. I saw there 
was a sticker from a 
gallery on the back, mm-hmm.

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APPRAISER: Yes. That gallerist 
promoted the artist, really made

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him famous. And still 
to this day, they handle 
the estate of the artist.

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GUEST: Oh, okay.

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APPRAISER: The artist died 
in Paris in 2001. So he 
lived a very long life.

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GUEST: Oh, that's 
a long time, okay.

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APPRAISER: The title of 
the painting is Cueillette 
des Pommes Cannelle, which 
translates to "cinnamon

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apple picking." The artist 
signed it in the lower right, 
and it's an oil on board. The

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painting is a standard size 
for the artist. There are some 
that come on the market that

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are much smaller. But this is 
really the most desirable. This 
period is highly desirable...

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GUEST: Oh.

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APPRAISER: ...because 
this is the period that 
the gallery promoted.

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Works of this scale generally 
sell in the $60,000 to 
$80,000 range at auction.

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GUEST: (exhales slowly) 
(laughing): Dang-- wow. Did 
you hear that? That's a lot--

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wow. (laughing) What 
am I gonna do with it? 
(both laugh) $80,000.

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APPRAISER: It's... It's 
a significant find.

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GUEST: Wow.

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APPRAISER: Yeah.

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GUEST: That's amazing. 
Thank you. (both laugh) 60 
to 80... (exclaims) Never

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thought I would find something 
that valuable. That's amazing.

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APPRAISER: If you 
were to insure it...

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GUEST: Yeah.

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APPRAISER: ...you'd 
probably want to insure 
it for closer to $100,000.

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GUEST: Oh, my God! (laughs) 
Wow. It's just been hanging 
over my bed. Wow. Okay. (laughs)