Vases left on shelf sell for £500,000

A pair of vases left on a bedroom shelf have transformed a couple's retirement after selling for almost £500,000 at auction. The Qianlong dynasty porcelain pieces were a wedding present from the vendor's father in 1965, having passed down from his father before him.

By The Newsroom

Published 30th Jul 2010, 23:13 BST

Updated 30th Jul 2010, 23:13 BST

Antiques expert Guy Schwinge spotted the 10in-high imperial vases on the bedroom shelf when he was invited to value a few other items at their home.

They smashed the pre-sale estimate of between 40,000 and 60,000 when a foreign bidder paid 482,000, including buyer's premium, on the telephone during the auction in Dorchester, Dorset.

Amy Brenan, a valuer from Duke's Auctioneers, which handled the sale, said: "Chinese ceramics have boomed in value. Mainland Chinese buyers are buying back pieces of their heritage and because the Chinese economy is booming they are boosting the auction trade."

Desire for Qianlong porcelain is now greater than for ceramics of the Ming dynasty.

Dorset