A man found a rare Chinese 'teapot' worth up to £100,000 in his garage during a clear out during lockdown.
The 51-year-old semi-retired manual worker had no idea of the item's value, and considered sending it to a charity shop, before taking it to be valued on the off chance.
"When I took it to Hansons [auctioneers] I was still unsure so dug out a few other bits and pieces for them to value in case they laughed at me when I pulled out the teapot," he said.
But the auctioneer he showed it to told him not only that it was - in fact - meant for wine rather than tea, but it was also incredibly rare and valuable.
The 'teapot', which is due to be auctioned by Hansons Auctioneers on 24 September, is in fact worth an estimated £20,000 to £40,000 but could make up to £100,000 according to the auctioneers.
The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "The teapot has been in my family as long as I can remember. My mum used to display it in a cabinet.
"We believe it was brought back to England from China by my grandfather who was stationed in the Far East during the Second World War and was awarded a Burma Star medal."
But for close to a decade it's been sitting in a box.
"Mum passed away nearly 20 years ago, then dad nine years ago and the teapot ended up in a loft in Newhall. Later it was boxed up and moved to a relative's garage in Church Gresley.
"I admit, we'd been thinking of sending everything to a charity shop.
"But then lockdown came along and I finally had time to go through the boxes in the garage. I'd always thought the teapot, which is what I've always called it, was special."
But he struggled to find out much about it when he checked online.
So the 'teapot', which is more accurately a 15cm Beijing-enamelled wine ewer, was taken for a valuation at the Etwall Auction Centre in Derby, with Charles Hanson, owner of Hanson's Auctioneers, claiming it was the "ultimate lockdown find".
Charles Hanson said: "This has to be the best lockdown find ever.
"It is such an exciting discovery, an imperial 18th century wine ewer which would have graced a palace in China and was, perhaps, handled by Emperor Qianlong, considered by some to be the greatest Chinese emperor."
Two almost identical 'teapots' exist in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, and the Palace Museum in Beijing, China, he added.
"It's truly astonishing to find an emperor's wine ewer in a Derbyshire home, an object used to serve warm wine during important ceremonies," Hanson said.
"Ewers and teapots of this type were fashionable at court during the period of Emperor Qianlong. He was fascinated by European enamel and the
new method of enamel painting and the style was replicated in his imperial workshops.
"The delicate wine ewer is a fine example of the perfect combination of an elegant shape, lavish colouration and technical perfection. Emperor Qianlong must have been especially fond of this vessel as a number of them were made, hence the existence of two similar examples in important museums in Taiwan and China."
The rare Qianlong period wine ewer is due to be sold on September 24 at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS.
