According to the Sun newspaper on August 29, a British man bought a vase for 1 pound (8.7 yuan) at a charity store, which was identified as being made by the Qianlong Emperor and sold for 80,000 pounds (700,000 yuan).
The buyer, who asked not to be named, realized its importance after it was auctioned off on eBay.
Experts studied the 8-inch pear-shaped vase and believed it was made by the Qianlong Emperor. (The Qianlong Emperor reigned from 1735 to 1796.) It has his inscription written for a palace.
Yexue Li, of Essex's Worders Fine Art Auctioneers, said: "The buyer picked this vase at a charity store and he liked the way it looked. ”
"He didn't realize the importance of this vase, so he put it on eBay for a very low starting price, which piqued a lot of interest."
"He decided to take the vase off the eBay and show it to us. When we explained its importance, he was both shocked and excited. ”
"This vase is very special because it has the inscription of the Qianlong Emperor on it, and this vase must have been commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor."
"When it was made, it was of high value. It's very exciting and we're interested in it. ”
The vase was bought in Hertfordshire and will be auctioned in November.
-END-