Long-lost Ansel Adams Photos Found At Garage Sale

California man kept slides from Adams' early career worth $200 million under his pool table

What's the best thing you ever found at a garage sale? Cowboy boots? A semi-decent mop? Fresno Painter Rick Norsigian haggled and got a box of old photographic plates for $45 about a decade ago. These plates turned out to be 80-year-old negatives of long-lost photos from some nobody named Ansel Adams. Now, after a lengthy investigation to prove their authenticity, Norsigian has learned they're worth $200 million. (Beat that, Antiques Roadshow.)

Best of all, these photos include never-before-seen shots of Yosemite and other iconic locations from a poorly-documented period in Ansel Adams' early career where much of his work was lost to a darkroom fire. CNN has an interview with Norsigian along with several images:

Norsigian kept the photos in a box under a pool table in his house. After a few years of joking with friends that they might be Ansel Adams prints, he did further research and realized he might be on to something. When years of forensic analysis eventually confirmed his suspicions, he "got a little weak" when he learned the photos could eventually net him $200 million over the next 25 years. Norsigian currently works for the Fresno school system.

I know plenty of people who would've already made a down payment on a yacht made of gold baby teeth after hearing that. But for now, Norsigian just wants the photos to go on a university and museum tour (starting at Fresno State University in October).

"I just hope everybody enjoys them," he said.

Unbelievable generosity from a guy who just scored the art find of the century. I hope whoever sold those prints doesn't read the news—otherwise, their head might explode.

—Ted Alvarez

via CNN

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READERS COMMENTS

Wow.. This slide is very beautiful...
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Posted: Jul 29, 2010 used medical equipment for sale

Awesome for the guy that found it. Admittedly, I hoped that f I sell something that turns out to be millions, the person who bought it from me will come back and write me a check for $1000. Ansel Adams would be happy to see the return on investment that happens. <a title="$200 million from a $45 investment with Ansel Adams" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/07/27/ansel-adams-negatives/">Rick Norsigian</a> found a few dusty old boxes of glass negatives at a garage sale and bought them for a song. It took him 10 years but he�s finally convinced experts that the pictures were taken by Ansel Adams, photographer. Now he's poised to reap a crazy return on his $45 investment. The Ansel Adams garage sale photos are now being appraised for more than $200 million.
Posted: Jul 29, 2010 Hansel S.

Give them to a museum. after you get all the prints published.
Posted: Jul 28, 2010 Thomas h. Mathews

Amazing. I hope someone also finds a way to digitize these images and share them with the rest of the world that doesn't have access to the college and museum tour. Major points for putting these back out to the people instead of starting the auction wagon up as fast as he can.
Posted: Jul 28, 2010 RangerMatt

I want a yacht made of gold baby teeth.
Posted: Jul 28, 2010 Ben Fullerton