Devon man sells old vase from the attic for £488,000

The man, from Honiton in Devon, decided he didn't have any need for an old vase that had been lying around in the attic for years. As it had been in the family for a while, he thought he might as well get it valued, and was stunned to discover it was a rare Moon flask - worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The Daily Mirror reported that he had no idea of its value when he took the vase to Chilcotts Autioneers. However, auctioneer Duncan Chilcott told the Daily Mail he could see it was special immediately.

He researched the piece and then showed it to a Bonhams auctioneer, who confirmed it was a blue and while dragon bianhu moon flask from the Imperial Court - made between 1736 and 1795. The vase was so valuable it was taken on tour in the Far East, before it was eventually sold to a buyer in Hong Kong for £488,000.

Cash in the attic?

The list of people who have made their fortune from something that was gathering dust around the house is enough to make anyone wonder whether their own valuable heirloom is lying around somewhere - masquerading as a lump of junk.

There was the tiny oil painting - measuring 9 inches by 7 inches - that had languished in the loft for years. The owner took it to a Dorset auctioneers last year, where it was valued at £300. The day after the auction they called the owner and said it had sold for £98,000.

Then in 2014 there was the 8 inch Chinese plate that was found in a cabinet in an elderly woman's retirement flat when her grandchildren were clearing it out. An auctioneer valued it at £3,000, but it eventually sold for £360,000 after flurry of bids from overseas buyers.

But perhaps the most stunning tale was the antique vase that was put up for auction in 2010 by a mother and son who had got bored with it lying around at home. A Chinese billionaire bid £43 million at auction, and although the sale eventually fell through, they found a buyer in 2013 who paid £25 million for the vase.