An article in Devon Live describes one of the best sales made by Bargain Hunt auctioneers in the UK.
The incident began when a UK man found an unassuming and humble-looking teapot in his attic. It was rather simple but colorful with floral detailing.
He didn't think anything of it. The teapot had been sitting in his attic for over 50 years.
He finally packed it up and put it into a bag. He brought it into the auction house to ask if it was worth anything because he planned to donate it to charity.
The auctioneers made an initial estimate of 100 - 150 British pounds ($122 - $183).
The teapot did not look special or unusual.
It was found in the owner's attic because his grandfather brought it over from Japan in the 1940s. It came home and languished in the attic until his grandson found it.
The auctioneers began to research the teapot although they had kept its initial estimate low. Once they did the research, the value jumped from a few hundred pounds to between 20,000 to 40,000 pounds ($25,000 to $50,000).
The reason for the jump in price was because they found out its history.
The teapot was actually a ceremonial jug that was used to hold water. It dated back to the 18th century and was used in the court of Emperor Qianlong.
Qianlong was one of China's greatest emperors and his reign is considered to be a high point in China's history. He reigned from 1735 to 1796 and his period of rule was one of stability and prosperity.
There were only three known jugs in the world. One was located in a museum in Taiwan while the second was located in a museum in China. The third was the one they held in the auction house.
When the jug went up for auction, there were buyers from all over the world interested in it. Eventually, it sold for 390,000 British pounds ($477,000).
It was almost half a million dollars for an old "teapot" sitting in a person's attic for more than 50 years.
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