From rags to riches
In 2013, a man browsing in a Sydney op shop purchased an unusual cup for $4.
Its uniqueness caused him to research its origins. He sent a picture to Sotheby’s, who confirmed that it was indeed both rare and valuable. The buyer had unknowingly purchased a 17th century Chinese ‘libation cup’ carved from the horn of a rhinoceros. He went on to sell it at auction for more than $75,000.
But this story pales when compared to a lucky American who in 2007 purchased a small bowl for US$3 at a garage sale in New York state, which they went on to sell for US$2.225 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Little did the purchaser know that the bowl that they had kept on their mantelpiece, with no idea of its worth, was in fact a 1,000-year-old treasure. The Ding ware bowl was an example of Northern Song Dynasty pottery and described by Sotheby’s as remarkable and exceptionally beautiful. The only other known bowl of the same size, form and similar decoration has been in the collection of the British Museum in London for more than 60 years.
