Portland, Ore. - A painting dropped off at Goodwill by an anonymous donor sold for $165,002 Thursday during an auction on the organization's website.
Bidding on the painting, a 1923 watercolor by the American impressionist Frank Weston Benson, started at $10 on Oct. 12. The bidding soared after the painting was authenticated by the owner of a Portland gallery.
The name of the winning bidder has not been revealed.
Dale Emanuel, spokeswoman for Goodwill Industries of the Columbia-Willamette, said that the nonprofit gets a lot of valuable donations, but that it's unknown whether the person who dropped off the painting knew its worth.
"We get donations that have come through the generations of a family, and as it goes from one person to the next the true value may not be understood," she said. "I've seen that many, many times."
(Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
