A rare Chinese vase that was used as a doorstop for many years has achieved £650,000 ($862,186).
The lot led an sale of antiques at Hanson's Auctioneers on July 1.
 The vase was found during a house clearance |
It was discovered during a house clearance of a home in Birmingham, UK and was found to date to the Qianlong period (18th century).
Auction house owner Charles Hanson explained to the Daily Mail: "The current vendor inherited the item from his Great Aunt Flo in 1978.
"She was an antiques dealer in her native Cornwall, but despite that, appears to have had no idea as to its true value.
"She used it as a doorstop until it was passed down to her great nephew. He kept it on display as a talking point in his hallway, but after years of passing it each time he entered or left his house he decided to have it valued because he always had an inkling it could be worth something."
There has been an explosion in the value of Chinese vases in the UK, as Chinese buyers scour British auction sites for bargains.
The prestige involved in bringing a cultural object back to its homeland is one of the main drives behind the market.
Earlier this year another Qianlong vase, bought for just a few pounds in the 1950s, sold for £900,000 ($1.3m).
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