Derbyshire mum's pots thought to be worth £30 scoop £100,000 at auction

The 67-year-old computer engineer gathered plates, bowls and dishes from his late mother’s house in Etwall where they had been on display for decades.

He said: “I thought they might fetch a bit of money but didn’t think they would be worth much. I took them along to Hansons Auctioneers for valuation and consigned them into auction expecting them to make around £30-£50.

“But later on I got a call from Hansons to say some of the Chinese ceramics in the box were worth more. They planned to put them into a different sale with estimates of £4,000-£6,000. I thought brilliant! I was pleased with that.

“What happened next was unbelievable. I watched the auction live online and the prices kept rocketing. I was shouting at the computer. My sister was watching live online from Australia and we were texting each other. We just couldn’t believe what was happening.”

Despite chips, a set of four small dishes achieved a whopping hammer price of £63,000 from a £4,000-£6,000 guide price. Three phone bidders battled against the internet to secure the set and the total paid by a Chinese bidder, with buyer’s premium, was £81,900.

The precious treasures turned out to be late 16th century Chinese Ming Dynasty wucai porcelain dragon and phoenix dishes. Each dish bore six character marks in blue of the Wanli Emperor (1573-1620). Painted decoration included a blue five- clawed dragon, mustard/green phoenix bird, flowers and Buddhist emblems.

But they were not the only items plucked from the cardboard box to excel. One item, an Imperial porcelain yellow ground medallion bowl, Daoguang (1821-1850), with a seal mark in blue and of the period, sold for £14,500. It had cracks but that didn’t deter four phone bidders who smashed its £1,500-£2,500 guide price.

Hot on its heels came an Imperial porcelain famille rose pink ground medallion bowl, Daoguang (1821-1850), with seal mark in blue and of the period. It achieved a hammer price of £8,800 against its £4,000-£6,000 estimate, helped by three phone bidders.

Both bowls sold to a private UK buyer for a combined total, with premium, of £30,290. Together, the three Chinese lots achieved hammer prices totalling £86,300. With buyer’s premium the total paid for all three was £112,190.

The seller has no idea how his mother, who passed away earlier this year, came to own Imperial Chinese treasures. He said: “I grew up being surrounded by plates and dishes. Mum liked to display them on the walls. She would have had no idea the dishes were valuable.

“She inherited them from a chap she used to help to look after many years ago in Etwall, a former Rolls-Royce engineer. They were given to her as a mark of gratitude. They must have been on display in her home for 30 or 40 years.

“I’d been clearing mum’s house and had considered taking the pots to a charity shop. Oddly, the ones I thought might be valuable weren’t but the ones I thought weren’t worth much were!

“I’m still recovering from the excitement of it all. The proceeds will be split between myself, my brother and my sister. I think I’ll be treating my wife to a special holiday.”

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “I am absolutely delighted for this Etwall family. I spotted the Chinese items in a cardboard box in our saleroom after they had been consigned to auction by one of our valuers.

“They were originally destined for Hansons’ monthly antiques and collectors sale but I knew they were important. They were validated by consultant valuer and Chinese ceramics expert Adam Schoon.

“He said what made the four dishes which achieved £63,000 particularly special was the fact they’d remained together as a set. They may have been used as altar pieces in a Chinese monastery or temple. They probably came to England after the First or Second World War.

“It’s wonderful to discover items like this on your doorstep. Our Derbyshire saleroom and company headquarters is in Etwall, the village where those treasures were tucked away for decades. This local find attracted worldwide interest, 10 phone bidders and a superb result for our client. That makes me proud."