Chinese bowl bought for $3 sells for $2.2m
A 1,000-year-old Chinese bowl that was bought for a few dollars at a garage sale in New York state has sold for more than $2.2 million at auction.
The small pottery bowl, finely crafted with an ivory glaze, turned out to be a thousand year old "Ding" bowl, dating from the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279 Photo: AFP/Getty Images
AFP 6:48AM GMT 20 Mar 2013
An unnamed New York family bought the "Ding" bowl, which is from the Northern Song Dynasty, for no more than $3 in 2007 and displayed it on a mantelpiece with no idea as to its real worth, Sotheby's said.
After consulting with experts, the owners consigned the bowl for auction. Sotheby's estimated it would sell for $200,000 to $300,000.
London dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi paid $2,225,000 including commission for the bowl, which measures just over five inches in diameter, at the auction in New York City.
Sotheby's said the only known bowl of the same form, size and almost identical decoration has been in the collection of the British Museum in London for more than 60 years.
