Old vase used as doorstop sells for almost £650,000

While this vase may look like a real top quality number, its former owners clearly didn't think so given that they were using it as a doorstop.

The item was then put up for auction through Hansons and it turns out it's an authentic piece from 1735 and 1799 in China.

The listing on the Hanson's site states: "A fine Chinese blue and white vase, seal mark of Qianlong, of hexagonal mallet form, painted in imitation of Ming 'heaped and piled' style, the bulbous body with cut branches of peaches alternating with flower and lingzhi stems, similar stems on the waisted neck, all facets framed at the corners with European derived Baroque scrollwork spandrels, the shoulder encompassed by a wan-diaper between barbed borders, the rim and foot with key-fret bands, height 66cm, seal mark of Qianlong in underglaze blue"

The vase was eventually sold for £649,549 despite it originally being estimated at just £300,000-500,000.

The clients who put it up for auction say they the vase passed down to them from their Great Aunt Florence.

It was thought to have been made as a decoration for the emperor of China at the time's Summer Palace.

While the vase was reported to have been used as a doorstop, it doesn't seem to have fallen victim to too much damage.

This listing adds: "We only report on damage or wear sustained subsequent to manufacture - any imperfections in the porcelain body or paste, any variance in glaze or tone of cobalt pigment are purely subjective and will not be included in a report on condition."