When he was 11 years old, a man found a painting at a tip and sold it for a fair price.

You’ve heard the expression about trash and treasure, but sometimes a real piece of treasure gets thrown out by accident, and in this case, it was thankfully saved from utter destruction.

At the age of 11, Mat Winter was at his local tip, hunting for something important to add to his antique collection, when a lady arrived with a huge load of items to throw away, including an ancient piece of artwork that he thought was cool.

She was relieved when Mat volunteered to take the painting off her hands because it would now go to someone rather than be discarded, but she probably had no idea what she was handing over.

Years later, Mat decided to have the photograph examined and was startled to learn that the image he’d salvaged was actually worth thousands.

Writing in the Metro, he stated that he set up his own ‘antique shop’ in his aunt’s shed and would occasionally accompany her to the tip to look for prospective antiques to add to his collection.

His collection began with an old bike, but the artwork portraying a knight riding on horseback with a beloved hound at his side was the highlight.

Mat had the photo framed and hung for twelve years, when it seemed time to clean out.

He decided to get the photograph assessed and took it to Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, where director Jim Spencer was ‘astonished’ by the discovery and ‘practically trembling’ as he rated it.

This image, which was on the verge of being discarded, turned out to be a Renaissance etching by German artist Albrecht Dürer titled Knight, Death, and the Devil.

The three most famous works by Renaissance painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer, known as the “Meisterstiche,” or master prints, were Knight, Death, and the Devil.

Spencer explained on the Rare Book Auctions website that when he viewed the photograph, he ‘understood that only one individual could’ve developed anything like this’ and estimated its value to be between £10,000 and £20,000.

Following the transfer and verification of the photograph at the British Museum, Mat auctioned the artwork he had rescued from the dump, which sold for £26,500.

The successful bidder was a German collector, and Mat was overjoyed with the destination of his prize antique, noting that ‘in some ways, it’s heading home.’

He indicated the money he gained would go toward a new automobile.