Geneva, Switzerland

Bidding war over vase

When a Chinese vase came up for sale at an auction house in Geneva on 21 September, it wasn’t expected to sell for a remarkable sum – no more than the highest estimate of £611. The blue and yellow vase, which depicts three dragons, is thought to date back to the 20th century, but it has one small mark that could mean it is a lot older and more valuable. After a fierce bidding war, it sold for £3.8 million – 10,000 times the original lowest estimate of £382.