An ancient teapot with a damaged lid has changed the fate of its owner as it has sold for a whopping £1 million during an auction in London.
According to the details, the antique teapot was passed down to a businessman in Dorset and it was being used as a living room ornament at his house.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, the businessman invited an auctioneer, Lee Young to evaluate the price of some ornaments.
While examining the damaged teapot, he identified the stamp on its base as being that of the Chinese emperor Qianlong who reigned between 1735-1796.
He said: “As the owner handed me the teapot for an opinion my heart missed a beat.
“As I turned it over and saw the beautifully drawn blue seal mark of Qianlong I realized immediately that I was handling a piece made for the Emperor himself.”
The teapot was expected to sell for just a few thousand pounds but an international bidding war saw it reach £1,040,000 with fees, the Mirror reported.
Lee Young, of Duke’s Auctioneers of Dorchester, said a telephone buyer beat nine rivals to win the piece. The battle for the teapot between ten telephone bidders took ten minutes with the price jumping in £20,000 increments. At one stage the price jumped by £100,000 as a buyer tried to frighten off other bidders.”
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