I bought a portrait for £20 but due to its creepy quality I sold it for £1,600
A WOMAN who brought home an old, unwanted £20 portrait from the charity shop sold it for £1,600 after discovering an eerie feature.
Zoe Elliott-Brown, from Hastings, East Sussex, thought she was picking up a beautiful piece of art to decorate her family home.
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But shortly after hanging it on her wall, the terrified 36-year-old noticed strange phenomena happening in the house.
The caretaker, who bought the painting from the Hastings Advice Representation Centre, claims the ‘cursed’ portrait welcomed an evil energy.
Zoe’s mother Jayne even thinks she has fallen into some sort of trance, often feeling compelled to stroke the cheek of a painting.
She also reported knocking during the night, while Zoe and her partner Ben started seeing a creepy, dark shadowy figure.
Even the family dog couldn’t stand the photo and wouldn’t settle in the house.
And they’re convinced the infamous artwork is so powerful it tried to burn down their house.
Zoe said: “My mum’s internet router started smoking and exploded – it’s quite new too. There was a very nasty hot smell.
“We unplugged it and the router and wiring were too hot to touch.
‘That really scared me. If we hadn’t been there, like if that had happened a day or so later, the whole building probably would have burned down.
‘It was lucky we were there. There is now a very strong smell of burning plastic.
“Mommy hates it [the painting] and wants it out of the house. She absolutely loves it.”
Despite the “curse”, there were buyers willing to take the painting off their hands.
Zoe managed to sell the photo for a whopping £1,600 after a tense bidding war – and never looked back.
It was picked up by The London Bridge Experience, but now staff at the popular tourist attraction say they have witnessed strange occurrences.
Manager James Kislingbury’s car broke down eerily as he went to collect the piece and he wondered if it was a bad omen.
It may well have been a sign, as he injured his collarbone shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, CCTV and WiFi at the location have both been switched off since the portrait arrived.
Other technical issues include the TV turning off – for no reason – and the lighting being temperamental.
One employee, Shannon Fagan, has even claimed to have seen a mysterious other-worldly figure in a black skirt.
The terrified staff member told The Sun: “We were looking on eBay for some props for our new show and came across the portrait. It lured James in a little.
“When he went into the previous owner’s house, the dog went crazy and on the way back his car had problems.
“We’ve had it for a month now and things have gotten even worse since we unpacked it and hung it on the wall.
“Without any warning, the WiFi and TV are turned off and no longer working.”
The tourist attraction, which hosts exhibitions on the capital’s history of death, has reported ghostly occurrences before, but Shannon says: “This is something different.”
“This morning a pair of handcuffs waved and out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman in a black skirt,” she continued.
“One of the staff members came running in and said ‘oh my God’.
“Since we got the painting, it has only gotten worse.”
Despite the bizarre stories, the London Bridge Experience has no plans to get rid of the portrait.
Longtime owner Zoe previously said: “People know what they’re buying – it’s in the advert. I’m not going to have a bad conscience about it – I just want it out of my life. I’ve had it to my teeth This picture.
“I sure as hell hope I get rid of this curse when it sells.
“I don’t care who it goes to, I just want it gone.” People know what they are signing up for.
“It just seems to keep wreaking havoc. Once it’s gone the better. I thought it was a joke at first but now it’s really not, I just want it gone.”
The portrait was originally donated by an elderly man with gray hair to the Hastings Advice Representation Center charity shop.
It came with a bold note that said, “She’s back.” Sold twice and returned twice. Are you brave enough?’
After a short photo was posted on social media, the piece attracted attention from around the world after fueling conspiracy theories and being “possibly cursed”.
It looks like it has now found a permanent home, but if it ever comes back on the market, would you buy it?
Household items that are worth a fortune – and how to find them
Experts believe that the average British attic hides valuables worth a whopping £1,922 in total, and that there is around £33 billion worth of ‘junk’ lurking in our cupboards and drawers.
Antiques expert Charlie Ross, who regularly appears on Bargain Hunt and Flog It!, has listed a number of items to look out for in your home.
90s vinyl
“Recordings made between about 1992 and 1999 are especially valuable because not much was made during that time. Vinyl from bands like Mansun can sell for £80, or Kula Shaker for £65,” the expert said.
Star Wars
“What really sells well are carded figures. At auction recently, a rare character called Yak Face, from Return Of The Jedi, sold for over £1,500,” said Charlie.
Fountain pen
The Bargain Hunt presenter said: “A rare Namiki fountain pen once sold at auction for £6,000, while auction house Dreweatts sold a limited edition Montblanc for an incredible £14,000.”
Old cell phones
“Even if they are not worth much now, there is no doubt that they will become valuable, so they are worth keeping. The first of a certain series can also be worth something in the coming years,” says Charlie.
Signatures
“If you have a collection of all the Beatles’ autographs, you’re sitting on a fortune!” Charlie added.
“I met a guy recently who had a book full of cricketers’ autographs – even that was worth £100.”
Comics
“A 1993 Batman Adventures comic could fetch around £800. Comics are valuable because they are usually limited edition and quite rare,” the expert explains.
For more information about hidden valuables, read here.
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