Box of old pots thought to be worth £30 sells for £100,000 at auction
04.04.2023 - 11:39
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
What seemed to be a regular cardboard box full of old pots was discovered to hold antique Chinese treasures and has now sold for £100,000 at an auction.
The box was discovered when a grieving son was clearing out his mother's house following her death. The 67-year-old nearly donated all the boxed up plates, bowl, and dishes, to a charity shop before deciding to get them valued by auctioneers.
He initially expected the items to be worth around £30 to £50 but was left shocked when he was told some of the items could be worth between £4,000 to £6,000. Some of his mother's crockers was dated to the late 16th century Chinese Ming Dynasty and were antiques.
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The seller, a retired computer engineer, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I thought they might fetch a bit of money but didn’t think they would be worth much. I took them along to Hansons Auctioneers for valuation and consigned them into auction expecting them to make around £30-£50.
“But later on I got a call from Hansons to say some of the Chinese ceramics in the box were worth more. They planned to put them into a different sale with estimates of £4,000-£6,000. I thought brilliant.
"I was pleased with that. What happened next was unbelievable. I watched the auction live online and the prices kept rocketing.
"I was shouting at the computer. My sister was watching live online from Australia and we were texting each other. We just couldn’t believe what was happening.”
The collection included an imperial porcelain yellow ground medallion bowl, Daoguang (1821-1850), with a seal mark in blue, sold for £14,500 from a £1,500-£2,500 guide price. An Imperial