11:06 . 15/05
A rare vase worth up to £4million was sold for the relatively knock-down price of £550,000 – because a previous owner had turned it into a lamp, Daily Mail informs.
The 15th century Ming dynasty vase had been transformed with metal fittings at the top, and a hole had been drilled through the bottom to attach a wooden base that obscured the tell-tale six-character mark of Emperor Xuande.
It had originally been an incense burner and was possibly used for ceremonial purposes during the emperor’s reign between 1425 and 1435.
The vase’s elderly owner had been given it as a present some time ago and had no idea of its value when he took it to Duke’s auction house in Dorchester, Dorset.
Experts believe that, without the damage, the item could have sold for up to eight times as much as it fetched.
