BBC Antiques Roadshow saw a man be left stunned as he was told how much his parents' old paintings were worth as he appeared on the show for a valuation in 2014.
He brought in his favourite paintings from his parents' collection, including a surrealist painting by late artist Leonora Carrington.
She had died just three years before in 2011, meaning her work had increased in value, and the man explained Alan Fausel of the American Kennel Club he didn't know the meaning behind the painting or much about the artist.
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But Alan explained that the painting, which his parents bought for around $10,000 decades earlier, was now worth a whopping $300,000, and he said that there was a lot more to the painting than met the eye.
He revealed that surrealists tend to use their "nightmares and dreams", and he predicted that was what the specific work by Leonora had based on due to the dark motifs and colour palettes and hidden scary figures in the picture.
Alan explained that Leonora had suffered after the Second World War, saying: "“After the war, she suffered a nervous breakdown.
"These pieces are very personal, I think part of them is her coming to grips with the nightmares and the imagery in her life.
"Overall she had a fairly normal life but she was haunted by these visions," as the show guest explained why his parents bought the piece, and that they were avid art collectors when he was a child.
He said: "They said they paid somewhere around 7,000-$10,000. Which was a big price to pay for a painting, I’m sure my father had to think twice when he did it."
As he was told the impressive value of the painting, he joked: "They bought well", as he clearly couldn't believe his luck.
Antiques Roadshow airs at 8pm on BBC.
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