When Great Art Goes Unnoticed: From the eBay Magritte to the Warhol Thrown in the Rubbish

Just days later, a Dutch municipality admitted it had “most likely” thrown away 46 artworks during renovation works – among them, a Warhol Reigning Queens silkscreen of Queen Beatrix, casually stored in a wheelie bin and now considered lost. In a market driven by rarity, provenance, and condition, these two stories sit at opposite ends of a spectrum – one a jackpot, the other a cautionary tale.

Earlier this year, an anonymous buyer browsing eBay stumbled upon what appeared to be a whimsical drawing – three towering chess pieces set against a fluffy-clouded sky, rendered in ballpoint pen, coloured pencil, and graphite. The asking price on eBay? $1,580. What the listing didn;t advertise was the fact that the drawing is an original work by René Magritte, one of Surrealism’s most celebrated figures from an art historical and market perspective.

Now authenticated and consigned to Rago/Wright, the drawing is set to go under the hammer in May with an upper estimate of $150,000 – a near hundredfold return on investment. Though undated and untitled, the work draws on motifs that recur throughout Magritte’s oeuvre, including the anthropomorphic chess pieces seen in his 1930 The Annunciation. Previously held in the collection of Mora Henskens, a close associate of Magritte’s legal adviser and biographer Harry Torczyner, the work passed quietly through hands before resurfacing – first at a regional auction, then on eBay, its true value hidden in plain sight.

The flip side of this phenomenon is far less satisfying. Just as the art world was digesting the Magritte story, the municipality of Maashorst in the Netherlands admitted to “most likely” discarding 46 artworks during town hall renovations – among them, a 1980s silkscreen by Andy Warhol depicting Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Part of Warhol’s Reigning Queens series, the print is estimated to be worth €15,000 (£12,800), though its value to the Dutch cultural record is arguably higher. A lack of storage protocols meant the artworks were stashed in wheelie bins in a basement during the renovation, where they were mistaken for refuse. Officials concede the works were “not handled with care,” and their whereabouts are now unknown.

The irony is sharp: one Warhol print mistaken for trash, another blue chip artwork elevated from a low-res online listing. The message is clear – value only emerges when works are seen, understood, and properly stewarded.

The Picasso Poster-Turned-Print

In 2012, Ohio-based bargain hunter Zachary Bodish spotted what he thought to be a promotional poster for a 1958 Pablo Picasso ceramics exhibition at a local thrift store – prices at just $14.14. It turned out to be a genuine linocut – Exposition Vallauris 1958 – created and hand-signed by Pablo Picasso, issued in a limited edition of 100 to accompany the exhibition. The work was, in fact, an artist’s proof. Experts verified the signature, and Bodish ultimately sold the piece for $7,000,

The Warhol in a Garage Sale Lot

In 2010, British businessman Andy Fields purchased a bundle of sketches at a Las Vegas yard sale of $5. Hidden inside one frame a sketch that appeared to be a youthful drawing of Rudy Valleé, signed “Andy Warhol.” The sketch, dated to Warhol’s teenage years, was estimated to be worth up to $2 million – though the authenticity of this particular work remains debated.

Dürer at the Tip

In 2024, another extraordinary Dürer story came to light – this time involving an 11-year-old-boy, a rubbish dump in Kent, and a centuries-old masterful engraving. Mat Winter, now an adult, recalled spotting an intricately detailed engraving in the back of a woman’s car while visiting a local tip. Interested in the work, he asked if he could take it home.

Decades later, Winter brought the piece – an original 1513 engraving titled Knight, Death and the Devil – to Rare Book Auctions. The work, signed and dated by Albrecht Dürer himself, was swiftly authenticated and listed for sale. With international interest flooding in, the engraving eventually hammered for £26,500 (£33,390 including buyer’s premium), exceeding expectations and returning the print to a private collector in Germany – Dürer’s homeland.

While the story has a fairytale quality, it also highlights the enduring (and perhaps overlooked, in some circles) value of Old Master prints. Dürer’s engravings are among the most celebrated in Western art history, yet they remain vulnerable to obscurity without proper recognition.

The Maashorst missing Warhol incident is a painful reminder that institutions and alike have a responsibility to safeguard art. Without registration systems, condition reports, and appropriate storage, even important works can vanish from the record.

In an age where a Magritte can appear on eBay and a Warhol can end up in a wheelie bin, the need for better custodianship has never been more urgent. Whether in public collections or private hands, artworks require careful documentation, informed handling, and an understanding of their market and historical value.

For collectors, this means not only recognising potential value but also taking steps to protect it: record provenance, seek expert advice, and ensure works are stored and displayed in ways that preserve their condition. For institutions, it’s a matter of policy – creating and upholding standards that prevent cultural assets from slipping through the cracks.

When works by Magritte, Warhol, Dürer or Picasso are lost or misattributed, it’s not just a financial oversight – it’s a cultural one. If you are fortunate enough to own an artwork by one of these era-defining artists, it becomes your duty to ensure that these pieces of art history are preserved for generations to come.