The American has managed to sell an old rag for $ 1.5 million

The man was very lucky.

American who were probably making ends meet on a disability allowance, became an overnight millionaire because of cat litter. Old rag lying in the closet for 7 years, was a unique quilt work of Navajo Indians. This thing — whatever he had inherited from her grandmother. The rest of the family was taken from her home all that is considered valuable.

Lauren says that after the death of a relative went to pick up abandoned books. As it turned out, the rest of her possessions were taken away in parts. “Everything was looted and my sister and my mother, — he recalls. — The only thing that was untouched bag from old bedspreads. One of them is the soft-store, and the second owned by their great-grandmother. It once took birth in cats. Sister men immediately grabbed the first dirty cat litter not caused her interest. Lauren lifted dropped on the floor, an old blanket and took him back to the memory of my grandmother.

“I asked her, “what about this?” She said, “Why would I want a dirty old rag?” I lifted the blanket… put it in the closet where it lay for seven years” – says the man.

For him these seven years was not easy. All his life he was engaged in favourite business — was a successful carpenter, but his career ended overnight. In 2007, the man got into a terrible accident. After he had spent the better part of a year in the hospital on dialysis. Nerve damage and cracks in the foot led to infection and poor prognosis for recovery. Then the doctors gave him an ultimatum.

“I tried to do everything possible, and finally became so bad that they said: now we need to take the leg,” he admits.

Despite the amputation, he repeatedly denied disability. His financial situation became so difficult that man was obliged to send their children to live with grandparents in Louisiana. When disability benefits was finally achieved, it turned out that it is barely enough for rent. The man rented with his friend old house in the middle of nowhere for $ 700, still 200 left to buy food. Any money brought his girlfriend Liza, but not enough for normal life.

“It was very difficult. Sometimes we went to the supermarket to buy a hot dog and a coke, because they cost only a dollar and a half” – says the man.

In 2011 there was a glimmer of hope when the man saw the episode of the program “Antiques Roadshow”, in which his older compatriot was shocked to learn that it involves the work of Navajo Indians worth about $ 500,000. Appraiser, gallery owner and art collector don Ellis, explained that they were highly valued even in those years when I was done, and now it is a real rarity.

“I paused and pulled out his blanket from the closet. I compared its pattern with that seen on the TV screen, and they were almost identical. Appraiser in the show said that the veil can cost anywhere from 300 to 500 thousand dollars. I sat and thought over my should be able to help out 5 or 10 thousand”, – says Lauren.

He told his mother about this, but the woman only laughed, saying that this old rag him one and $ 10 will not give, not what thousands. The first appraisers of Antiques, too, was skeptical about the blanket. Someone refused to take it, someone said that this is a common Mexican fabric. The last place that he decided to apply, was John Moran Auctioneers is a local family run auction company that has made a name by selling artifacts of native Americans.

According to well-known appraiser and expert Joshua Baer, textiles was one of the best and most rare works of the Navajo in the world. The man said that at the auction for the cover will give about $ 200,000, but he needed the money, and competing companies began to propose counter-offers — outbid valuable thing for less money, but for cash right now. Then Jeff Moran decided on what I did, — long before the auction, he out of their money has paid an advance of $ 9,000.

Laurent agreed to wait and not lost. 2 weeks later he got even more than expected, $ 1.5 million.

The auction lasted just 77 seconds. Only two could afford to raise the stakes to the limit. Finally, a point in the auction set a record amount proposed by none other than Don Ellis — the collector, who appeared in the episode of the transfer, marked the beginning of the story.

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