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HomeNewsTrendsWoman 'accidentally' buys $4,000 Salvador Dalí print at auction because she was 'bored'

Woman 'accidentally' buys $4,000 Salvador Dalí print at auction because she was 'bored'

"I couldn't even see the piece from where I was sitting," Danielle Allen said in the video, which has been viewed almost 3 million times.

October 26, 2022 / 13:27 IST
To Danielle Allen's shock and after "the longest 10 seconds" of her life, the auctioneer awarded the piece to her. (Screengrabs from Danielle Allen's video)

A 28-year-old US woman "accidentally" bought a $4,000 piece of art history at an art auction. Now, she's looking for a buyer for the print by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí, hoping to sell it for more than $20,000.

Firefighter and art history lover Danielle Allen had never been to an auction and when she attended one, she saw art pieces being sold for as much as $75,000 which was way beyond her price range. But, after watching the auctions take place for over 20 minutes, Allen said in a TikTok video that "FOMO" (fear of missing out) drove her to bid on the next piece -- a print by Salvador Dalí.

The minimum bid for the piece was estimated to be around $15,000, so Allen said didn't see much harm in participating just for fun and so, she made a $2,000 bid. "I wanted to raise my hand and make a bid... and then someone else outbids me, that's what I wanted to happen in my head, but that didn't happen," Allen said.

To her shock and after "the longest 10 seconds" of her life, the auctioneer awarded the piece to Allen.

"I couldn't even see the piece from where I was sitting," she said in the video, which has been viewed almost 3 million times.

Allen recalled the incident at the auction earlier this month, and encouraged anyone who wanted to purchase the art print to get in touch with her. "So, if you're interested in a great story and a great package, the bidding starts at $20,000... Come on rich people, don't let me down," she said in the video.

first published: Oct 26, 2022 01:27 pm

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