He 'Was Shaking' After Buying the Painting for $30

Newser • October 6, 2026 • entertainment

Key Points:

A painting by Chicago-based Surrealist artist Gertrude Abercrombie, purchased for $30 at a Michigan estate sale in July, sold for $1.35 million at auction on Thursday.
The small 1951 still life titled "Alderman Merriam's Shells" had been in the possession of physician John Reynolds, who originally received it as payment for medical care from Abercrombie.
The painting was nearly discarded but was saved by the anonymous buyer, who was visibly shaken by the unexpected fortune.
Two bidders drove the sale price to a record for Abercrombie's work, with a private collector from the San Francisco Bay Area winning the auction.