Unearthed from the ground, dug out in basements and attics, or even found hanging on living room walls. It's amazing where valuable collectibles can crop up - the latest being a painting by 19th Century French master Henri Fantin-Latour which has auctioned for £90,000.
The painting, a 20 by eight inches oil on canvas, was discovered on the wall of a house near Gainsborough, UK. The artwork features depictions of roses. Flowers were among the artist's greatest inspirations.
 Flower power: Henri Fantin-Latour |
The great discovery is perhaps less surprising given that the home belonged to an antiques dealer, based in Sturton-by-Stow. The Henri Fantin-Latour painting was auctioned in Lincoln, East Midlands, and reportedly inspired intense bidding.
Like his contemporary artists Manet, Monet and Renoir, Henri Fantin-Latour already has impressive form on the auction block.
His previous sales include a £1m final price for his work Flowers and Fruits, sold at Christie's.
According to reports, the Lincoln auction also featured an autographed Princess Diana letter written to a nine-year-old boy named Roger. The letter was written just two months prior to her Royal wedding to Charles, making it even more remarkable.
The rare manuscript sold to an internet bidder for just £425 - not only a fantastic bargain, but also a great investment for future years. Thanks to her strong legacy, The People's Princess' average autograph value has risen by 616% on average in the last 11 years.
Factors like these makes Diana a blue chip of today's collectibles markets. Paul Fraser Collectibles has a number of prized collectibles linked to the Princess of Wales in stock, such as personal signed letters.
Examples we have for sale include this lovely note penned by Diana to Janet Filderman, her personal beautician.
It reads: "I did so love our lunch today - You'd gone to enormous trouble to make it special & indeed it was. I felt heaps better after being with you..."
"All that you said made an awful lot of sense & having your encouragement & support means the world to me, especially as I know that your life cannot be easy..."
This astounding and unique letter gives a fabulous insight into the big heartedness which so endeared Diana to a her nation - the kind of Diana collectible that is especially sought-after by buyers. You can find out more about our letter here.
