Archive · 6 Oct 2026
Forgotten Abercrombie Painting Bought for $30 Sells for $1.35 Million
A painting of ten seashells was made by Gertrude Abercrombie in 1951.
She gave it to a doctor instead of selling it.
Years later, it ended up at an estate sale, where a buyer noticed the artist’s signature in a dark hallway.
The buyer paid just $30 for it.
An art expert confirmed that Abercrombie had painted it.
A restorer cleaned it and said it was in very good condition.
The painting was expected to sell for much less than it did.
At auction, it sold for $1.35 million, a record for Abercrombie’s work.
A buyer found “Alderman Merriam’s Shells” in a dark hallway during a July estate sale and paid $30 for it.
The 1951 painting depicts ten seashells, a recurring subject in Gertrude Abercrombie’s work.
Abercrombie had given the painting to a Kalamazoo doctor in exchange for medical services; it later passed through the doctor’s estate.
After Susan Weininger authenticated it, restorer Julian Baumgartner cleaned the work, which remained in its original frame.
Freeman’s estimated it at $150,000 to $250,000, but it sold for $1.35 million, setting a new auction record for Abercrombie.
- Who
- Gertrude Abercrombie painted the work; an unnamed buyer purchased it, and Freeman’s auctioned it.
- What
- “Alderman Merriam’s Shells” sold for $1.35 million, setting a new auction record for Abercrombie.
- When
- The painting was made in 1951 and was discovered at a July estate sale; the sale year is not stated.
- Where
- The painting was found at an estate sale; it had previously been given to a doctor in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
- Why
- The buyer spotted the painting’s barely visible signature; the articles do not state why the estate put it up for sale.
- Artwork
- “Alderman Merriam’s Shells”
- Artist
- Gertrude Abercrombie
- Year painted
- 1951
- Estate-sale price
- $30
- Auction estimate
- $150,000 to $250,000
- Auction result
- $1.35 million
- Previous Abercrombie record
- “Message for Mercy” sold for $1.02 million at Sotheby’s in 2025.