

Arizona woman finds hidden treasure after purchasing $5 yard sale photo


SUN CITY, Arizona -- An Arizona woman found a hidden treasure at a yard sale. Behind an ordinary picture of a horse...was a portrait of former President John F. Kennedy from 1961!


"He says 'I just have this gut feeling that there's something behind that,'" Dwyer said.

Sure enough, when they removed the picture from the frame, they found a portrait of JFK from 1961.


Dwyer did some research on the artist -- Carmelo Soraci, and found he was an infamous forger who served time. While incarcerated, he unleashed a hidden talent.


Dwyer took the painting to art appraiser Lisa Barnes to see what it's worth. She said it's tough to give an exact appraisal.

"This particular artist doesn't have a history of sales. Someone like the Smithsonian would buy this because of the merit of how he captured and he depicted JFK," Barnes said.

Based on the painting's quality alone, Barnes estimated the value to be somewhere around $2,500 to $5,000.

Dwyer said even though the painting only cost her $5, she'll likely part with the portrait worth more than just a thousand words.

"I would probably sell it. We've been on hard times," Dwyer said.
