CASH IN THE ATTIC: I’m a very special teapot. Yes, it’s true. I could be worth a a million or two
This 18th-century china teapot has just been sold at auction for £1million and has a blue seal mark of Chinese emperor Qianlong
Every week we give the low-down on the value of forgotten treasures that may be gathering dust at home.
A five-inch teapot that spent years sitting on a shelf in a family living room – and had been valued at £1,000 – went under the hammer for £1million last week. The teapot, below, was found to be an 18th Century rarity of the Chinese Imperial Qing dynasty.
Such finds are highly unusual but heirloom teapots can be worth getting professionally valued. Last year, an 18th Century John Bartlam pot that had been made by the Staffordshire potter in an American factory went for £460,000 at auction. It had been bought two years earlier for £15 – and reached its six-figure price despite not having a lid.
A dog walker who discovered a teapot in a skip a couple of years ago that was decorated with the face of a Chinese man was later delighted he had picked it up. It turned out to be an 1876 ‘Majolica Brownfield’ teapot and sold for £850.
A battered 12-inch silver teapot valued at £120 sold for £2,250 six years ago. The price soared after its provenance was revealed. It was picked up in a 1903 expedition to Tibet by the owner’s grandfather.
