Chinese Vase Sells for €110,000 at Sheppards Irish Auction House
A Chinese blue and white vase started with a bid of €50 before two collectors started a bidding war.
Auction visitors at Sheppards Irish Auction House in County Laios, Ireland, watched as the vase was eventually sold for €110,000.
Richard Peters, 48, who runs an antiques company in Kensington, was the eventual buyer after outbidding a dealer who had flown in from Beijing, China, for the auction.
Mr Peters, who is adamant the vase was ‘made for the personal collection of Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century’, said: ‘I got a bargain!
‘The vase had probably been looted from the Imperial Palace in Peing by French, British or American soldiers sometime during the 19th century.
uctioneer Michael Sheppard said he was amazed when the vase sold for 1,000 times more than its original estimated value, explaning: ‘Something like this happens once in a lifetime.’
Mr Sheppard added the sale was ‘the highest figure ever achieved for any item’ during the 60-year histroy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.
