According to Express, a British man posted a porcelain bowl - often used for growing trees - on Facebook for $265. However, the seller removed the post after receiving a flood of buying offers at skyrocketing prices.
The owner then gave the bowl, which was about 20cm in diameter and had been passed down to a British military family for 50 years, to Sworders auction houses in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England.
The expert quickly said that this is a rare antique from the reign of Emperor Jia Qing (1796-1820), China. The yellow flower painting bowl has the six- character stamp of Emperor Jia Qing, eight Buddhist symbols and is currently said to be worth about 20,000 USD.
"When we brought the bowl to Sworders, we were surprised to learn about its potential value and were drawn to learn the entire history of the artifact," the unnamed owner shared.
"Bottles with patterns like that are one of the last great masterpieces of the Qing Dynasty before the dynasty began to weaken in the 19th century," said Yexue Li, an Asian art expert at Sworders.
In June, an ancient Chinese stele made between 1736 and 1795 under the reign of King Can Long was also set up for auction for more than $11 million, after being discovered to have been "abandoned" for nearly 60 years in the cabinet of an elderly woman in Europe.
