LONDON, Nov 16: A rare Chinese vase, bought for 10 pounds at a Hampshire car boot sale, has been sold for a whopping 61,000 pounds.
The enamel “two quails” vase, is thought to have been made at Beijing’s Imperial Palace at least 220 years ago.
Auctioneers Woolley & Wallis said the owner only realised its true value after he put it on eBay.
It had been estimated as being worth up to 30,000, pounds but sold at auction in Salisbury for 61,000 pounds, including the buyer’s premium, the BBC reported.
The seller, who did not wish to be identified, picked up the vase at a car boot sale near Lymington.
When eBay bidding reached 10,000 pounds he withdrew it and took it for a valuation.
Woolley & Wallis Asian art expert John Axford confirmed the vase bore the four-character Qianlong mark – the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty – and would have been made by Imperial command in the palace workshop between 1736 and 1795.
He said it had turned out to be an “excellent investment”. (PTI)
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