Who doesn’t love a bargain? If you’ve ever gone “thrifting,” then you’d know the rush you get when you come across a great find at a low price. What started off as an interesting buy, soon turned into a find of a lifetime.
An unnamed buyer in Hertfordshire, England spent 1 British pound, which is around $1.21 in US currency, on a vase he found in a store. After posting the item for sale on eBay, he started to get a lot of inquiries and took it to an auctioneer for review. Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers confirmed that the vase was in fact 300 years old and once belonged to the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty, who reigned from 1736-1796.
The vase sits 8 inches high, and the experts at Sworders Auctioneers suggest that the combination of high-quality enamel used and special markings found, including the family rose, iron-red seal and inscriptions could mean this vase once resided inside the emperor’s palace. According to reports, the inscription reads “Weijing weiyi,” which means to “be precise, be undivided.”
The item is valued between $60,000-$100,000 and goes to auction on November 8th.
