A palm sized portrait author, Charles Dickens reportedly was found in a box of junk pieces at a house clearance sale in the South African city of Pietermaritzburg. It is believed that the last time the portrait was seen was in the late 19th century and then was reported unaccounted for by its artist, Margaret Gillies, according to CNN. It was reported that many attempts to locate the work failed and it was to be lost.

The people who found the portrait by accident in a garage sale, sent the piece to London’s antiques expert, Philip Mould of Philip Mould & Company, to be authenticated. Not only they authenticated the piece but also estimated the value of the portrait to be about a quarter of a million dollars.

According to Mould, this was a very interesting time for Dickens who had survived two flops, ‘The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit’ and ‘Barnaby Rudge,’ and needed something to get out of a time of insecurity for the author. This portrait was the picture of Dickens on the precipice of stardom.

The portrait which will have its first exhibition since 1844 required two months of restoration.

It is believed that the portrait was done over six to seven sittings in late 1843, when Dickens was 31 and writing what would be a bestseller, “A Christmas Carol.” The book, of course as we all know centered around the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge around Christmas, showed that “everyone has capacity for compassion. Many experts believe that the book also popularized Christmas, which was considered a second-rate holiday in the early 19th century.

The portrait is also remarkable for its female artist, Gillies, who like Dickens, shared an interest in social reform. She was an early supporter of women’s suffrage and, according to her correspondences with Dickens, had spirited debates with the author, whose works showed great empathy toward the vulnerable of post-Victorian society.