Found a painting?

How to tell if a painting is valuable

Most paintings found at home or in a thrift shop sell for $10–$300. Three things move one higher: it is a real original rather than a print, its signature leads to an artist with auction sales, and it is in good condition. Check them in the order below.

Unsigned original$10–$300Most home and thrift finds

Framed decorative print$40–$250Looks painted, is printed

Signed, listed artist$300–$20kDepends on their sales record

A river landscape with birch trees in an ornate gold frame, hanging above a wooden sideboard — An example: an oil landscape with no known artist, the kind people inherit or buy second-hand.

What it is decides the range

Before any artist name, the type of object sets what a painting can sell for. These are the resale ranges Art Scanner starts from: what a piece actually sells for at auction, on eBay or in a second-hand shop, not retail or insurance value.

Poster or unframed print$5–$60

Unsigned amateur original$10–$300

Most home and thrift finds

Framed decorative or museum-shop print$40–$250

Hand-painted copy of a famous work$100–$800

Large framed archival print$150–$800

Signed original, listed regional artist$300–$20,000

An artist with auction sales

Resale value in US dollars on a log scale, so each step to the right is ten times more. Without a confirmed artist, Art Scanner keeps an original under $3,000.

1. Original or print?

Take the painting off the wall and tilt it under a lamp. Paint has height. A print is flat, and up close it is made of dots.

Left: thick oil brushstrokes on canvas. Right: a print made of tiny coloured dots — Left: oil paint, raised strokes over the canvas weave. Right: a printed copy, a regular grid of coloured dots.

Raised brushstrokes

Ridges of paint that catch the light from the side, with the canvas weave showing between them.

Dots under a magnifier

A regular dot pattern, even in the sky, means it was printed. Your phone camera zoomed in works too.

Under glass, perfectly flat

Glass and a smooth, even surface usually mean paper. Oil paintings are rarely framed under glass.

Texture added on top

Some prints have a few brushstrokes painted over them. If the strokes do not match the picture under them, it is a print.

2. Look at the back

The back of the canvas often says more than the front: who sold it, who framed it, roughly when it was made.

The back of an old canvas: dark wooden stretcher bars, rusty tacks, a faded paper label, an ink stamp and a pencil note — Old wood, tacks, a gallery label, an ink stamp and a pencil note: each one is a lead.

Labels

Gallery, framer or exhibition labels can name the artist and the place it was sold. Photograph them before anything else.

Writing and stamps

Pencil titles, names or dates, and stamps from the canvas maker. Search any name or place you can read.

Wood and fixings

Dark, worn stretcher bars and tacks point to an older piece. Bright new wood and staples point to a recent one.

3. Trace the signature

A signature only adds value if it leads to an artist whose work has sold. Here is how to check.

Front and backRead the nameLower corners, the back, the frame. Photograph it close.
Search“Name” + auction resultsSold results, not asking prices
CompareSame size and subjectA small sketch and a large oil sell very differently
No sales foundPrice it as unsignedUsually $10–$300

An artist with public auction sales is often called a “listed artist”. That record is what moves a painting from hundreds into thousands.

4. Is it worth an appraisal?

An appraisal is paid work, so it makes sense only when the piece could be worth clearly more than it costs.

Worth asking

A signed original by an artist with auction sales, old gallery labels or papers, or a piece a family story says is important.

Usually not

A decorative print, a copy of a famous painting, or an unsigned piece with nothing on the back.

A free first step

Many auction houses look at photos for free when they would sell the piece. Send the front, back, signature and size.

What Art Scanner shows for a found painting

Scan a painting the app cannot name and it gives you a best guess at what it is, an estimated value range and an original-or-print check. Here is the real result for the example above.

River Landscape with BirchesUnknown · Early to mid-20th century · Oil on canvasBest guess

Did you make this?Get a price to sell it

Price it →

If you bought or found it

Estimated value ✦Confidence: Medium

$200 – $800

The object in your photo: likely an original

Condition (from photo): Good

Consider a professional appraisal of a signed original: by a listed artist it could be worth far more than this range.

Original or reproduction?

Brushstrokes visible
Canvas texture visible
Printed dot pattern
Signature visible

What moves the price

Raises value: Appears to be an original oil on canvas · Good condition of the painting and the gold frame

Lowers value: The artist is unknown · Many unattributed landscapes sell at lower prices

The example photo was made for this guide. The result is what the app returned for it on 21 October 2026, with the price factors shortened. A starting range from a photo, not an appraisal. Painted it yourself? Price your own art instead.

Where pieces like this sell

Unsigned decorative paintings usually sell through local auction houses, online marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy, and antique or consignment shops. Price from sold listings for similar size and subject, and show the frame in the photos: a good old frame adds to the price. Etsy vs eBay fees shows what you keep on each.

Questions

How do I find out if a painting is worth anything?

Work out what it is first. Prints and posters rarely pass a few hundred dollars, unsigned originals usually sell for $10–$300, and only a signature you can trace to an artist with auction sales moves a painting into the thousands. Then look up sold prices for similar pieces, not asking prices.

How can I tell if a painting is an original or a print?

Tilt it under a light. Raised brushstrokes and paint that sits on top of the canvas weave mean paint. A regular pattern of tiny coloured dots under a magnifier, or a perfectly flat surface, means a print. Some prints have added brushstrokes on top, so check the edges and the back too.

Is a signed painting worth more?

Only if the name leads somewhere. Search the name with "auction results". If you find sold works of a similar size and subject, those prices are your guide. A signature with no sales behind it is priced like an unsigned original.

Should I get my painting appraised?

Usually only for a signed original by an artist with auction sales, or a piece with old gallery labels or papers. For an unsigned decorative painting or a print, an appraisal often costs more than the piece is likely to sell for.

Can an app tell me what my painting is worth?

It can give you a starting range. Art Scanner looks at the photo, decides whether it is likely an original or a print, searches sold prices of similar pieces and shows what raises or lowers the value. It keeps an unverified artist guess under $3,000, and it is not an appraisal.

More guides

Scan the painting on your wall