Man Buys Vase For £1, Discovers It's Worth £80,000
I'd wager that was the best £1 he ever spent.
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Recently, an unassuming man woke up on the luckiest day of his life (although he didn't know it yet). Having a browse in his local Hertfordshire charity shop, he spotted a rather nice yellow vase and bought it for £1.
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Later, the unnamed man put the vase up on eBay and was surprisingly "flooded with orders," leading him to assume that the vase was worth more than he had bought it for. He took it to Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers' in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex to be priced, and received the unexpected news.
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The cute daffodil yellow vase was actually a personal belonging of the Qianlong Emperor, a Chinese Emperor who reigned from 1735 to 1796 AD. And today it is worth £80,000. We can't imagine how the English man felt when he heard that.
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After being studied by experts at Sworders, it was discovered that the vase has the Qianlong family rose on it, meaning that it was a personal belonging not meant for export. The vase is inscribed with a poem that 'praises incense' and it reads 'Weijing weiyi' which translates to 'be precise, be undivided'. The color yellow is significant, as it was a color reserved for the emperor only.
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The vase is now up for auction at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet for £80,000. Considering that the vase is over 300 years old and very far from home, we think this is a pretty good deal. But not as good a deal as finding it in a charity shop for £1. That's the bargain of a lifetime.
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