Two vases of 23 euros from a thrift store turn out to be worth 69,000 euros | Abroad

The vases were made in the eighteenth century and are 11.5 centimeters in size. They are painted with chrysanthemums and lotus leaves, among other things.

The seller of the vases wishes to remain anonymous. It is a “passionate collector” of ceramic objects, reports CNN. The man or woman saw the two vases in a second-hand store last year “and just had to buy them”, not knowing their true value.

“I think anyone who is in the presence of Imperial Chinese porcelain is drawn to it,” said Bill Forrest of Roseberys auction house. The seller decided to sell after he or she found a label on the bottom of one of the vases that read Qianlong. Qianlong was Emperor of China from 1735 to 1796. The seller probably found out after some research and decided to take them to an auction house.

According to Forrest, the seller will donate “a significant portion” of the proceeds to the charity that owns the thrift store.

It is not the first time that such vases have gone under the hammer. In November 2021, two Chinese vases fetched more than 300,000 euros at an auction in Sotheby’s.