Vase Bought At Thrift Store For $1 Is Worth $100,000

Anyone who shops at a thrift store is looking for a bargain - something in good condition for a good price, but what one shopper in England found was a lot more than just a good deal. The person purchased a nice looking vase for one pound, or $1.23. They thought they could put it up on eBay and make a few dollars on the eight-inch tall item, but soon after listing it, the bids poured in and they got a lot of interest from art collectors - so much that they withdrew it from bidding.

They took the piece in to get it appraised and learned it features an imperial poem on it and was actually made for an 18th century Chinese emperor sometime between 1735 and 1796. It will now go up for auction and is expected to sell for at least $61,000 but could go for upwards of $100,000.

Sworders, the auction house, describes the vase as:

The 8in (19cm) high pear-shaped wall pocket with ruyi handles and a yellow ‘sgraffito’ ground is inscribed with a poem praising incense alongside a yuti mark and two iron-red seal marks reading Qianlong chen han (‘the Qianlong Emperor’s own mark’) and Weijing weiyi (be precise, be undivided).

The auction takes place on November 8th. No word on how the vase ended up at the thrift store.

Photo: Getty Images, Sworders

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