Collector paid £25 for thrift-store jars; pair later sold for over £74,000
A ceramics collector discovered two rare 18th-century Chinese porcelain jars in a London thrift store for £25, which later sold at auction for £58,000. The jars were identified as imperial Qing Dynasty pieces featuring traditional doucai decoration.
Why it matters
It illustrates the intersection of historical art valuation and the potential for significant financial windfalls in the secondary market.
A routine visit to a London charity shop turned into an extraordinary discovery when a ceramics collector spotted two small porcelain jars that would later sell for thousands of times their purchase price. According to auction house Roseberys London and reporting by CNN and Artnet News, the pair was identified as rare Chinese porcelain dating to the 18th century and fetched £58,000, including the buyer’s premium, at auction in May 2023. The jars, purchased for around £20, or approximately $25, had initially appeared to be an unassuming thrift-store find. Their distinctive decoration and imperial markings, however, prompted closer examination, leading specialists to recognise their historical and artistic significance.The details that revealed their originsMeasuring approximately 4.5 inches tall, the jars feature colourful chrysanthemums and lotus flowers against a yellow ground.
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