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A collector paid $30 for Gertrude Abercrombie’s painting Alderman Merriam’s Shells at a Michigan estate sale in summer 2026. On October 1, Freeman’s sold it at auction for $1,352,600, including the buyer’s premium. NDTV rounded the two amounts to about Rs 2,800 and Rs 13 crore, respectively.
Which painting sold for about Rs 13 crore?
The painting was Alderman Merriam’s Shells, a 1951 work by American artist Gertrude Abercrombie (1909–1977), whom Freeman’s describes as a celebrated Chicago Surrealist. The auction house says the painting had been out of public view for 75 years before it resurfaced.
Freeman’s describes nine seashells arranged on a slate-gray surface, with a conical shell suspended against a black wall. The auction house calls it a rare example of Abercrombie painting directly from life and says it offers evidence about the origins of the shell motif in her later work; that is Freeman’s interpretation of the painting’s significance.
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How did the buyer find it?
According to Freeman’s, a longtime collector of records and mid-century furniture noticed the painting in a dark hallway corner at a Michigan estate sale in summer 2026. The buyer recognized the “Abercrombie” signature and paid $30.
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The buyer later visited The Whole World Is a Mystery, a Gertrude Abercrombie retrospective at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Freeman’s says the exhibition catalogue reproduced an archival image of Alderman Merriam’s Shells, helping the buyer identify the work.
How was the painting authenticated?
Freeman’s traces the painting to Dr. John Reynolds, a physician in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Abercrombie gave it to him in 1952 in exchange for medical services, and it remained with his family. The auction house says it appeared in six solo exhibitions in 1952 and 1953, at galleries in Chicago, New York, Milwaukee and Evanston.
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After the discovery, Dr. Susan Weininger, an Abercrombie scholar, authenticated the painting, according to Freeman’s. The family history, exhibition record and archival image all helped establish the work’s identity and provenance.
How much did it sell for, and how did that compare with the estimate?
Freeman’s reported a sale price of $1,352,600, including the buyer’s premium, at its Post-War & Contemporary Art auction in New York on October 1, 2026. That is the price realized, not the hammer price; the reviewed sale information does not state the hammer amount.
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| Figure | What it represents |
|---|---|
| $30 | Reported estate-sale purchase price, according to Freeman’s. |
| $150,000–$250,000 | Freeman’s pre-sale estimate. |
| $1,352,600 | Freeman’s reported auction price realized, including buyer’s premium. |
| About Rs 2,800 and Rs 13 crore | NDTV’s rounded rupee conversions of the reported purchase and auction prices. |
The result was more than five times the high end of the estimate. Freeman’s says bidding opened at $80,000, with five phone bidders and several online bidders competing. The sale set a new auction record for Abercrombie, according to Freeman’s, which also said it was her first work to hammer above $1 million. That statement about the hammer threshold does not disclose this lot’s exact hammer price.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the sale does—and does not—show
This was an unusual rediscovery supported by a documented family history, exhibition record, archival image and scholar authentication. The striking difference between the $30 estate-sale price and the auction result does not mean that old or signed paintings found at estate sales are likely to be valuable. A signature alone cannot establish an artwork’s identity, authenticity or market value.
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