A 17th century Chinese artifact called the "Magnolia and Prunus" libation cup recently sold for $75,000 at Sotheby's. The piece was purchased from a thrift store in Sydney for $4.
When browsing through a thrift store, you never know what you may come across.
A 17th century Chinese artifact called The "Magnolia and Prunus" libation cup recently sold for $75,000 at Sotheby's auction house in Australia. The piece was purchased from a thrift store in Sydney for only $4.
The unidentified male seller frequents the local op shops and reportedly thought he had found something special when he spotted the chipped Chinese cup. The male opted to buy it and immediately conducted some research.
He then contacted Ann Roberts who works as a Sotheby's consultant. She concluded the cup was very rare and could be worth some money. Even though it was slightly damaged, she estimated that if the cup was put up for auction, it could garner anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000.
Well she was way off, but in a very good way. The seller is said to be ecstatic. The buyer of the Asian cup, carved from rhinoceros horn has not been identified.
