Sold for £87k, Chinese vase destined for a charity shop

WHEN Anne Beck inherited a battered Chinese vase from her grandfather, it was in such a state she consigned it to the garage.

Eleven years on, the pensioner was about to give it away when an auctioneer suggested it might be worth around £100.

To 83-year-old Mrs Beck’s delight he was entirely wrong – it went under the hammer for £87,000. Mrs Beck’s antique restorer grandfather had never got round to repairing the vase’s crack and the missing chunk in the rim (circled). As a result, she thought it was only fit for a charity i shop. But on her way there she called in to an auctioneer’s to have s some glass bowls valued and mentioned the 12in yellow floral vase in t the back of her car. An expert at Eastbourne Auctions, East Sussex, persuaded her to put it up for sale and it w was given an estimate of £90 to £120.

But bidding took off and the price eventually paid by the German-based Chinese buyer was £70,000 plus £17,000 fees. The vase, made for the 18th century t emperor Qianlong, depicts a Chinese god who lives in the clouds receiving gifts for his birthday. Had it n not been damaged it would have been w worth up to £500,000.

Mrs Beck, a widow from Eastbourne, s said: ‘I was amazed when I found out what it sold for … I’m still in a bit of a daze.’ She intends to spend some of the money on her two children and four grandchildren and have a family celebration. She will also give s some to charity.