Published 00:09 IST, November 13th 2019
Chinese vase bought for £1 from a charity shop sells for £484,000
A Chinese vase bought for just £1 from a charity shop, was sold for £484,000 after experts discovered it was made for a Chinese emperor from the 18th century.
A British man who bought a vase for £1 at a charity event has ended up selling it for a whooping £484,000. According to reports, the vase made for a Chinese emperor from the 18th century was purchased by the man from a charity shop in Hertfordshire and ultimately listed on an online selling platform, eBay for a paltry sum.
After the man listed the vase on eBay, the antique prompted a bidding war between people with a Chinese buyer who bought the vase for £380,000. Along with extra charges, the price of the vase was £484,000. According to reports, the final price of the artifact was 6 times the value estimated initially by the auction house.
Vase belonged to an 18th-century Chinese imperial
According to reports, the man was unaware of the actual value of the vase until he was flooded with bids on eBay. He then took it to Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers' in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, to estimate its value. After proper examination, experts said that the vase was made for an 18th-century emperor, Qianlong. The antique which is flat on one of its sides has a poem inscribed on it is inscribed with a poem. The words 'weijing weiyi', which translates to 'be precise, be undivided' are also inscribed in the vase.
A yellow pear-shaped vase
Chief of the Asian art department at Sworders auction house, Yexue Li, said that the owner of the vase was in the charity shop and chose to buy the yellow pear-shaped vase because he liked the look of it. Li said that the man was unaware of its historical significance and that is what led him to list it on eBay with a very low price. Li further added that after the man was flooded with bidding requests, he took down the listing and brought the vase to them.
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According to reports, the seller who was £484,000 rich after selling the vase, wished to remain anonymous. He said that he would spend the money to secure his 3-year-old daughter's future.
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 01:26 IST, November 13th 2019