When the workweek is over and the weekend arrives, there is nothing quite like driving around town to check out the yard sales. Much of what you see is just one man’s junk, but sometimes, you just might find a treasure.
Of course, your chances of finding a Mona lisa hidden among the yard sale items is not likely to happen, but from time to time, these types of things to happen. I know what you’re thinking, you think those types of things never happen to you. Although that may be the case up until now, you never know what is going to turn up the next time you look.
For example, a family in New York saw a pretty white bowl at a yard sale and bought it for $3. They didn’t think they were getting an especially nice bargain, they just thought it would look good on their mantle.
Years went by and they finally got curious as to it’s origin. When they took it to an appraiser, you won’t believe what he told them
This New York family had no idea they were hitting the yard sale lottery when they were out for the day.
In fact, they just wanted something to sit the mantle.
The family, who wants to remain anonymous, saw a pretty while bowl and bought it for $3
The bowl was just 5″ across the top and had a lovely floral motif. They put it on the mantle and it sat there for years.
When they finally got curious about the origin of the bowl, they decided to have it appraised.
They were in for quite a shock when they heard the news. They thought they were buying a throw-away item on a yard sale table but they were getting a treasure.
The bowl was a thousand year old artifact, dating back to the Song Dynasty in China.
This was no ordinary bowl. It was a fine example of the ceramic style 1,000 years ago, known as Ding Ware.
Southerby’s noted the beauty of the glaze and the lovely lotus pattern on the inside.
They also stated that, “Only one other bowl of the same form, size and almost identical decoration is known; the piece in the British Museum London.”
Southerby’s is one of the top auction houses in the world. Based in London, they are known for handling the finest in antiques and art.
This piece caught the eye of the auction house and they said it was worthy of posting. The piece was given a value of $200,000 to $300,000.
When it sold in 2013, the bowl fetched an impressive $2,225,000!
This may not be the highest sale at the auction house but when it comes to return on investment, one lucky family got things right.
Via: Little Things
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