The painting bought at the Barrowland Market for 50p which sold for £34,000 30 years later

Back in 2008, a regular Glaswegian man made the art sale of the century - making an incredible £33,999.50 profit from a painting he bought from the Barrowland Market for a mere 50p.

The tale of ‘Chopping logs outside a snow covered cabin’ is as bizarre as it is fascinating - it was originally painted by Cornelius David Kreighoff, a Dutch-Canadian painter famed for his paintings of Canadian landscapes and rural life, and somehow his piece on chopping logs ended up at the Barras.

Whichever vendor originally sold the painting back in the late 70’s clearly had no idea what value he was holding - otherwise he wouldn’t have punted it to an anonymous Glaswegian art fan for 10 bob, or 50p nowadays.

The unnamed owner, who made the purchase four decades ago, admitted to acquiring the piece purely out of personal preference, blissfully unaware of its true value. He had no prior knowledge of Cornelius David Kreighoff, who died in Canada in 1872.

Releasing a statement at the time, the Glaswegian owner said:“I often browse through the Barras market and bought the painting simply because I liked it.

“I am surprised and delighted that my find has turned out to be such a worthwhile investment.”

It’s still unknown how the painting made it’s way to Glasgow, much-less the Barrowland Markets, although the art-world seem to believe that it was brought to Glasgow by a soldier, but the real story is anyone’s guess.

Cornelius Kreighoff was hardly an unknown artist at any point - his artworks were as sought after while he was alive as they are today - to think that the knowledge of the worth of the painting was simply forgotten boggles the mind.

It’s a real testament to the Barras, where a sunday browse for a bargain paired with a keen eye and a stroke of luck can transform an incredibly modest purchase into a remarkable life-changing return on investment.

Ahead of the auction at Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh, Nick Curnow managing director of the auction houe at the time, released a statement regarding the painting and auction, he said:“It is the sort of find everybody dreams of. Krieghoff is one of Canada’s most accomplished and important artists.

“He was born in Amsterdam in the early 19th century and married a French Canadian in Manhattan, which is what persuaded him to move to Canada.

“He depicts ordinary people with sympathy, humour, attention to detail and a lack of idealisation.”

On May 29, 2008, ‘Chopping logs outside a snow covered cabin’ by 19th century artist Cornelius David Krieghoff was sold to an anonymous buyer for £34,000. Making a profit 68,000 times the original purchase price of 50 pence.

The auction record for a painting by Cornelius Krieghoff is $570,000 Canadian. This record was set by ‘Mail boat landing at Quebec’, a 17 by 24 inch oil painting on canvas sold November 20, 2006, at Sotheby’s & Ritchies in Toronto, Canada.