Dust off your treasures - they might be worth money

Do you have art hanging on your wall, or a piece tucked away in your attic, and you've always wondered what it might be worth?

Well, now is the time to find out as Heffel Fine Art Auction House has made its way to Winnipeg to help people with their art inquiries.

"Heffel is Canada's largest fine art auction house…we host monthly online auctions and live auctions twice a year. Basically, we work with collectors who are looking to buy or sell fine art and help them find new homes for their paintings," said Rebecca Rykiss, a consignment specialist with Heffel.

While there isn't an exact location where Heffel has set up, they will be visiting people who have previously submitted their artwork for estimates.

"(We're here) to meet with collectors, learn about goals with their collections, whether they're looking to buy new things, or sell things they've had in their home for a long time. Maybe they found something in a thrift shop and they're looking to find the value. So we're here to help them with that."

When looking at art that can be sold, Rykiss said Heffel looks at art from Canadian artists as well as from people around the world.

If Winnipeggers have something they think might be worth something, they are encouraged to contact Heffel.

"If they think it's worth something, they should definitely give us a call. Even if they aren't interested in selling it, we're just happy to take a look and help them out with potential auction values."

Rykiss said you never know what you could have, pointing to one woman in Alberta who believed she had a Tom Thompson painting – a famous Canadian artist from the early 1900s. The woman sent it to Heffel to get looked at and it was confirmed to be a Tom Thompson painting, and she was eventually able to sell it for $500,000.

"We've seen things that come from thrift stores, things that come in a box of work from an estate sale."

More details about inquiries with Heffel Fine Art Auction House can be found online.