UK shopper paid £1 for vase; it later sold for £484,000

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Who published it, and when

How it spread - 5 original reports

1. Wed, 7 October 2026

   1 report
   • Times of India10:35first to report
     UK shopper paid £1 for vase; it later sold for £484,000

     In a heartwarming tale of luck, a man acquired a simple yellow vase for just £1 at a charity shop. Upon listing it on eBay, he was inundated with inquiries, prompting him to seek expert appraisal. Experts revealed that it was an imperial piece crafted for the Qianlong Emperor, leading to a whirlwind auction. In a stunning twist, the vase fetched £484,000, transforming the man's financial fate tremendously.

2. Fri, 9 October 2026

   1 report
   • Times of India10:30
     French family found vase in attic; it later sold for $16.18 million

     An 18th-century Chinese porcelain vase, forgotten in a French family's attic, sold for €16.18 million at Sotheby’s Paris in 2018. The family brought it to the auction house in a shoebox, unaware of its value. Experts identified it as a rare imperial vase made for the Qianlong Emperor, and it sold for over 23 times its estimated value.

3. Sun, 11 October 2026

   1 report
   • Times of India14:54
     Collector paid £19 for Ming-era box; 77 years later, it sold for £288,000

     A 15th-century Chinese enamel box, originally bought for £19, sold for £288,000 at an auction. The box was rediscovered in a family attic where it remained unnoticed for decades. Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe acquired the box in 1946, and it was assessed by Dreweatts auction house. Experts confirmed the box's significance, linking it to the rare Xuande-marked pomegranate boxes.

4. Thu, 15 October 2026

   1 report
   • Times of India20:22
     Collector paid £25 for thrift-store jars; pair later sold for over £74,000

     A casual ceramics collector stumbled upon two seemingly ordinary porcelain jars in a London charity shop priced at just $25. After a detailed assessment, experts revealed these jars were actually rare 18th-century Qing Dynasty artifacts adorned with imperial designs and intricate floral patterns. The jars sparked considerable interest and fetched an astonishing £58,000 at auction, translating to over $74,000, significantly benefiting the charity involved.

5. Sun, 18 October 2026

   1 report
   • Times of India09:28
     Woman paid £1 for vase, used it as plant pot; it later sold for £32,450

     In 2008, a woman bought a glass vase for just £1 at a car-boot sale in Dumfries, Scotland, and used it as a plant pot. She later discovered it was a rare 1929 creation by French designer René Lalique. After experts valued it at £25,000 on Antiques Roadshow, the vase sold at Christie’s in London for £32,450.