£1 charity shop Qianlong vase could make £80,000

A rare Chinese Qianlong vase that was purchased for £1 in a charity shop could sell for up to £80,000.

The Qianlong famille rose wall vase was bought from a Hertfordshire charity shop earlier this year, and will carry an estimate of over £50,000 at Sworders in the autumn.

The lucky purchaser of the Qianlong vessel, which is inscribed with an imperial poem, was unaware of the significance of his find and had been deluged with bids and enquiries after placing it for sale on eBay. He took the decision to withdraw it from the online auction site and take it to Sworders fine art auction room for a fuller appraisal.

The 8in (19cm) high pear-shaped Qianlong wall pocket with ruyi handles and a yellow ‘sgraffito’ ground is inscribed with a poem praising incense, alongside a yuti mark and two iron-red seal marks reading Qianlong chen han (‘the Qianlong Emperor’s own mark‘) and Weijing weiyi (be precise, be undivided).

The Qianlong vase now form’s part of Sworders’ Asian Art auction on November 8 with an estimate of £50,000-80,000.