Necklace almost priced at £15 for car boot sale later sold for £99,000

A necklace nearly taken to a car boot sale with a £15 price tag turned out to be a rare 18th-century Polynesian treasure worth almost £100,000. The piece, made from human hair and sperm whale bone and originating from the Austral Islands in the South Pacific, had been found during a house clearance. At Ewbank’s auctioneers in Surrey, it sold for £99,000, far above its original estimate of £60 to £100, according to Antique Collecting and the Antiques Trade Gazette.Nearly lost at a car boot saleThe necklace was brought to Ewbank’s by the owner of a house clearance firm, who had no idea of its significance. It was part of a batch of items that had been priced at £15 and was destined for the A3 car boot sale opposite the auction rooms. At the last moment, the owner changed his mind and took the necklace to Ewbank’s instead.