'Antiques Roadshow' vase rejected and found in dusty attic sold for £53million

Antiques Roadshow

A vase dismissed by a BBC antiques adept ended up selling for an astonishing £53million aft being stored successful an attic for 40 years.

In the 1970s, the BBC introduced its antiques crippled amusement Going for a Song, which is considered to beryllium a predecessor to Antiques Roadshow. A radical of customers and experts scrutinised a postulation of antiques to verify their authenticity and estimation their worth.

When a working-class British mates presented their vase connected the amusement for evaluation, the curator concluded that the 16-inch gangly porcelain ornament was a "very clever reproduction" but not the genuine article. The intricate Chinese vase was a household heirloom, truthful they stowed it distant successful their dusty attic for 40 years.

After the couple's death, their relatives stumbled upon the vase portion clearing retired their house.

The vase was "sitting connected the bookcase doing perfectly nothing" and Bainbridges Auction House manager David Reay instantly recognised it arsenic thing extraordinary, reports the Express.

He recounted successful 2010: "They told maine it had been valued astatine conscionable £800 2 months earlier. They besides told maine the proprietor had taken it connected Going for a Song connected the BBC astir 40 years ago. He was told it was a precise clever reproduction."

The vase was transported to the Arts Club of London, wherever further experts inspected it. The vase was crafted astir 1740 for the 5th emperor of the Qing dynasty successful China.

It had been handed down done the household by a comparative who travelled abroad.

The point had apt been plundered from a Peking imperial palace by British and French soldiers during the Second Opium War erstwhile British troops were allowed to loot Emperor Xianfeng's Summer Palace of Gold earlier mounting it ablaze.

Estimated astatine astir £1million, the bidding soon kicked off, and the terms yet soared to £43million. With committee and VAT, the last terms was a staggering £53,105,000.

Auctioneer Peter Bainbridge remarked: "There was a soundlessness that wrapped itself astir the merchantability arsenic the fig grew dilatory but surely up to the sky. I'm an auctioneer, truthful astatine that point, I'm conscionable doing the nonrecreational occupation I'm paid to do.

"But erstwhile the hammer's down, you bash instrumentality banal somewhat and think, 'Oh, wow, that's truly alternatively a batch of money'.

The owners were truthful shocked they had to tally retired of the country to cod their thoughts, portion Peter pocketed astir £10million arsenic committee for the sale.

Antiques Roadshow is disposable to ticker connected BBC iPlayer.