£300 chair sold for £10,000 after experts spot ‘last of its kind’ antique

♦ A chair with an auction list price of just £300 caused a £10,000 bidding war after experts realised it was a last of its kind Georgian antique.

The chair, which is 12in high, was found gathering dust in the former home of an antique dealer. It needs reupholstering, but sharp-eyed bidders spotted its provenance.

Auctioneers said the piece was a Georgian Apprentice elbow chair and may be the last of its type in country.

A spokesman for Boulton & Cooper in Malton, North Yorkshire, said: “We had not seen another like it and, despite some condition issues, it far exceeded expectations.”

The chair, below, was among a number of items found during the clearance of a property on the North Yorkshire Moors that belonged to an antique collector and dealer. Boulton & Cooper still has other finds to auction off. The buyer has not been named.