When a man browsing his local thrift store came across a painting bearing a distinctive signature, he decided to investigate.

Mark Harrington is an avid thrifter—and he’s not alone. According to figures published by Capital One Shopping, around one in five Americans shops at thrift stores in a typical year.

For Harrington, thrifting appeals for a number of reasons.

“What I personally like about thrifting is that it feels like a window into the past,” he told Newsweek.

“It feels like a treasure hunt, and I get to learn about all of these beautiful things. I often daydream about the path that led them to me. It’s a little sad that they were once so loved and end up being undervalued. But that’s also what I enjoy.”

Another appealing aspect is that, thanks to modern technology, it has become easier to spot a bargain and sell it for a profit.

“There are so many ways to resell—Whatnot, eBay, and Vinted, for example,” he said. “Combined with Google Lens, an image-recognition tool from Google that uses artificial intelligence to identify objects, being so accessible, you don’t necessarily need prior knowledge to find out whether something is valuable.”

The painting he recently came across is a case in point.

“Saturday morning, I was at one of my favorite thrift stores,” Harrington said. “By pure chance, I thumbed through a bin of wall hangings before I left and found the Stan Sobossek painting.”

The presence of Sobossek’s signature in one corner intrigued Harrington, but it was not the sole reason he decided to buy it. Stanley Sobossek was a New York artist known for his mid-20th century oil paintings.

“The painting caught my eye because the subject was an antique store, and I thought it would make good décor for my hobby space,” he said.

It was only after researching the artist and the specific painting, titled Lafayette, Rhode Island, that Harrington realized he may have struck gold.

“Needless to say, I grabbed it and did my best to remain calm while checking out. It was priced at $14.99, and they gave me 50 percent off for some reason,” he said.

After returning home, Harrington took a photo of his find and shared it on Reddit. The post, uploaded under the handle u/windblown27, earned more than 2,000 upvotes.

“I figured it would get some traction, but I certainly didn’t think I’d be talking to a reporter,” Harrington said.

Based on his research, Harrington believes the painting could be worth a considerable sum.

“I don’t believe it’s an exhibition piece, which can sell for as much as $6,000. If I had to guess, I’d say the high end would be around $2,000 for my painting,” he said. “I intend to get it appraised.”

While the process of confirming its value is ongoing, Harrington is in no rush to sell the piece. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“I’ll most likely keep it because I really do like it,” he said.

In the meantime, he is still searching for thrift-store bargains.

“I love finding a deal, and hopefully I can help things find a home that will appreciate them the way they should be,” he said.