After hanging the pieces in their home for several years, the anonymous finders researched the artist and discovered they were original works by Louis Wain, a celebrated British artist renowned for his late 19th and early 20th-century cat depictions.

Wain, whose eccentric life was the subject of a 2021 biographical film starring Benedict Cumberbatch, frequently struggled financially during his lifetime and died in 1939. His work has since become highly influential and sought after by collectors, BBC reports.

According to Rogers Jones Auctioneers, while discovering high-value art amongst discarded rubbish is unusual, it is not entirely unprecedented. The auction house noted that all sellers must sign a contract confirming legal ownership of the items before they can proceed to public sale.