Don’t turn your nose up at items found in charity shops – as they could actually make you a fortune! That’s exactly what happened in this British thrift store
They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure – and that’s definitely the case when it comes to these charity shop finds!
A thrift shop boss had a hunch that two pieces of crockery they had acquired could actually have some value in them. So to find out, he decided to send them off to antiques experts for a thorough assessment.
They had picked up a plate decorated with blue and yellow dragons from a Dorset bargain shop. And by sheer coincidence, a similar bottle vase was donated to them in Surrey. While the first item had an estimated price tag of just two quid, the shop thought the second was worth around £100. However, the pieces ended up being valued much higher than that.
The charity shop manager booked a professional valuation with UK auctioneers Woolley and Wallis. They saw Chairman and Asian Art specialist John Axford.
And it turns out, their sneaking suspicions were correct. To their delight, the expert told them the crockery was worth thousands.
Axford immediately recognised the items as significant 19th-century Chinese works dating back to the Daoguang period (1821-1850).
They were identified by their six-character mark, also found in the Chinese Imperial collection.
As a result of this, the dish was initially valued at £1,500-£2,000. It ended up garnering even more than this under the hammer, selling for an impressive £7,000.
The ovoid vase, featuring three dynamic dragons chasing a sacred pearl of wisdom amongst clouds, flames and rolling waves, was almost as lucrative.
It was estimated to fetch between £1,500 and £2,500, but competitive bidding saw it sell for £5,080.
After being auctioned at the Woolley and Wallis’ Fine Asian Art sale on Tuesday, 11 November, proceeds were given to charity.
So you never know, browsing in charity shops could actually end up changing your life!
Previously, a woman was delighted to find out that a £3 bag she purchased was actually designer and worth a fortune.
Meanwhile, a savvy shopper bought £36 of “unsellable” items from a thrift store and ended up making a huge profit.