On a recent epidsode of PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow,” a painting titled “Aiding a Comrade” by American artist and sculptor Frederic Remington came in and was given a price tag even the owner couldn't believe.
"This piece, together with the letter, would be something that I would value at auction between $600,000 and $800,000," said appraiser Colleene Fesko.
"Oh my goodness! I was hoping I would be wildly exuberant. I am," said the owner, Ty Dodge.
Dodge stated that the painting had been in his family for years, and one of the men depicted is his own great-grandfather, Army officer Lea Febiger.
Febiger is believed to have been friends with Remington. He even wrote a letter describing the adventures they had together in the late 1800s. The letter itself was valued at $2,000.
Dodge said he knew the nearly 120-year-old portrait by one of the most important Western artists of the century was worth a lot, but even he was floored by just how valuable it turned out to be. "Frankly, I was pretty shocked. We had it appraised for insurance purposes back in the ’60s, and it was appraised at $7,500."
It has been reported that Dodge recently donated the painting to the Birmingham Museum of Art, which has a collection of Remington bronze sculptures.