A chipped bowl dating back to the 15th century Ming Dynasty that was once purchased for £65 has sold for £1.68 million at auction.
The porcelain Chinese bowl was bought by collectors Otto and Gertrude Harriman after World War II for £65, which would equal about £1,600 in today’s currency. The family of the late couple recently decided to sell the bowl, expecting it to fetch about £20,000. However, the rarity of the bowl attracted great interest from collectors of Ming-era goods, causing a bidding war between Chinese buyers. The bowl had been on display at a Nottingham museum before the auction.
A spokesman from Bainbridge’s auction house in Middlesex, U.K., stated that the 10-inch diameter bowl was originally used for dice games. The blue and white bowl had a chip on its edge, which the spokesman said kept the winning bid from being higher.
In 2010, Bainbridge’s famously sold a vase from the same era for £59 million.
£65 Chinese Ming Dynasty Bowl Sells For £1.6m At Auction
