For nearly 40 years, a vase sat in a British man's kitchen, collecting dust. Now it's responsible for making its owner rich.
The vase, which turned out to be a rarity from 18th century China, has been sold for $1.8 million, according to Dreweatts auction house. Prior to the sale, Dreweatts officials valued the two-foot-high vase at $186,000.
Experts say the tianqiuping vase, which is the only of its kind known to exist, was made for the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty. Somehow it ended up in the hands of the unidentified owner's father, who passed it on to his son in the early 1980s, the auction house reveals.