Second-hand store Goodwill picked up over $150,000 on Tuesday as two paintings that were anonymously donated at a Toronto location fetched tidy sums at an auction.

Someone dropped off two paintings by Peruvian artist Federico del Campo at the Goodwill location on Dundas Street near Islington Avenue last fall, according to Goodwill spokesperson Mitzie Hunter.

The paintings were put aside in a shopping cart for the store manager to assess and price.

"As they were looking at the item to price it, they noticed it was a special piece," Hunter told ctvtoronto.ca. "Once we checked out the name of the artist and realized he was well known, we decided to get it appraised."

Waddington's, an auction house that specializes in appraisals, valued the paintings at $30,000 to $50,000 each.

But when the auction ended at the International Art Auction, one painting sold for $80,700 while another sold for $78,400.

CTV's Scott Laurie told News Channel that many bidders from Europe took part in the auction by telephone.

"They suspected at the beginning of this that the bidder would likely be in Europe -- someone who has heard of this painter, someone who may be a big fan of his work in Venice and these scenics," Laurie said.

Both winning bids came from overseas, he said.

Del Campo, who died in 1927, moved to Italy to develop his art. He was known for his highly-detailed fine depictions of Venice. The two paintings are each sized at roughly 60 by 42 centimetres, and feature the Venetian canal.

Hunter said prior to the auction she believed it will be the largest donation in the organization's history.

Goodwill didn't attempt to contact the donor to make sure they knew what they were giving up.

Hunter said the charitable organization received more than 2,500 donations every day.

She said it's normal for people to donate to Goodwill but agreed that it was "rare" to receive a donation of such great value.

The money, she said, will be used to further Goodwill's job support program which helps teens, people with disabilities, immigrants and others who have difficulty finding employment.

"There is such a high need, particularly because of this economy, for jobs and job support so we're going to put it towards that," she said.