Two very popular dreams in life: to appear on your favorite T.V. show and to own a fine art piece.

For Antiques Roadshow superfan Stephen Padlo, achieving both these dreams happened at the same time.

Although Antiques Roadshow is typically a show associated with older viewership, there is a young fanbase too. And when Stephen appeared on the show as a preteen, the staff was shocked at his skill at collecting. Stephen knew that appearing on the show might mean a big letdown for him if he found out that the painting he bought wasn’t worth anything. But, he was willing to take that risk.

It ended up paying off!

He drove all the way to Richmond, Virginia.

Although Stephen is a New Jersey native, he had to be a part of this opportunity. Because Antiques Roadshow is such a popular show, tickets sell out pretty quickly. Stephen and his father knew that if they got a chance to go to one of the roadshows, they had to take it, no matter what obstacles they might face.

So they got in a car and drove from their home in New Jersey, down to Virginia, all just attend the roadshow. They had no idea they would be asked to appear on the T.V. show itself.

Stephen and his father, Frank, were big fans of the show.

Antiques Roadshow is a popular PBS show about the world of antiquing. Although most people who appear on the show are older adults who just want to see if their yard sale finds are secretly gold, there are a few serious collectors.

Stephen and his father had been fans of the show for years. They knew their chances of being disappointed about the results of their appraisal, but they took a chance anyway.

Even at his age, Stephen was a seasoned collector.

Even though he is a preteen kid, Stephen knew quite a lot about the world of antiques and art collecting. Prior to appearing on the show, he had spent a lot of free time at auctions and would sometimes buy various pieces.

Stephen likes to buy these items, and then resell them– which is a pretty cool way to make some extra money as a kid! And, even better, Stephen likes to find a deal. He lucked out with this painting, as he explains:

“This piece was found at an auction down in South Jersey. It was so hot there my dad didn’t want to stay to get it, but I wanted to so we waited an hour or so and I got it for two bucks.”

About the painter.

One of the only hints as the the value of this piece was in the bottom corner of the painting. There, you can see that the painter signed his name: Albert Neuhuys. Neuhuys was a painter who lived in 19th Century Netherlands, and he was quite popular at the time. He made many copies of his paintings.

Is this fine art?

David Weiss, the appraiser that Stephen met with, is an art appraiser at the Philadelphia-based auction house, Freeman’s. He is an expert in the field of art collecting and was able to tell Stephen all about this painting.

The painting depicts a typical household scene, with a mother and her children. Weiss told Stephen that these types of paintings were very common in 19 Century Dutch society.

Because of all these factors, Stephen’s painting was not a unique piece of art, but it still could earn him a pretty penny.

Stephen could be a future art dealer!

When Stephen learned the monetary value of the painting that he bought for $2, he could not believe it! He pumps his fist, and seems pretty excited to continue collecting art and antiquing.

Weiss even gives him some words of encouragement:

“I think you’ve got a great career going as an art dealer. You ought to keep at it.”

To see Stephen’s reaction, and to learn the value of the painting, watch the video below!

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Source: Antiques Roadshow PBS, Freeman’s Auction, National Galleries Scotland, NJ.com, PBS