This Guy Purchased A Tank On Ebay, But Didn’t Know It Contained A Fortune

The False Wall Find

Norman Rockwell was a beloved American artist, his work is extremely recognizable as far as paintings go. In March of 2006, an interesting painting was discovered behind a false wall in a home that had been owned by the cartoonist Don Trachte Jr. The Trachte sons were going through the home after his death when they saw a gap in the wood paneled wall. After the Trachte brothers moved the wall, they found a remarkable site – an original Norman Rockwell painting. Apparently, Don Trachte Jr. had been displaying copies of the paintings for years to ensure that his ex-wife could not get her hands on the original in the divorce. The painting was called “Breaking Home Ties” and once was shown on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1954 and was the second most popular cover ever. The painting was originally purchased for $900 in 1960 and was later auctioned by Sotheby’s on behalf of the Trachte sons for $15.4 million.