The £2 teapot that was worth £32,400
Chris Brooke, Daily Mail
8 July 2005
WHEN seasoned bargain hunters Leslie and Wendy Hyde bought an old teapot for £2 at a car boot sale, never in their wildest dreams did they think they had found a sale of the century.
In fact they had stumbled across a rare antique Minton piece and yesterday, to their amazement, it sold at auction for £32,400.
The couple were at a car boot sale near their home in Tamworth, Staffordshire, last year when they discovered the pot. Mr Hyde, a 46-year-old council worker, said they were attracted by a crowd gathering at a van.
'People were snapping up little pieces of attractive pottery,' he said. 'By the time we'd nudged ourselves to the front everything had been sold and I was cursing my luck for not getting there sooner.
'However, the seller delved into the back of the van and pulled out a whole host of other bits and pieces. Among them was a colourful decorative teapot. It caught my eye straight away.'
With its bright colours and cat and mouse theme, the pot may not be everyone's cup of tea. It also had a cracked handle and damaged base, which had been glued back together.
But the Hydes were not put off and snapped it up for £2, unaware it was an antique, made in 1876 at the Minton factory near Stoke.
Eight months later they noticed an identical piece in an antiques brochure and realised they may have found the best bargain of all. So they called Christie's auction house for a valuation.
Experts expected the teapot to fetch £15,000-£20,000, but when it went under the hammer in South Kensington, London, yesterday a private buyer paid thousands more.
Teapots like this distinctive cat and mouse one were made in large quantities for relatively low cost. But Rod Woolley, head of European Ceramics at Christie's, said its shape and character meant it remained a valuable collectors' item. Mrs Hyde, 42, said: 'It's a dream come true.'
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What's the idea? Simple -- get Minton printed on some of your tat and start selling it on car boot sales. Don't claim its antique - people who read that article will think they are smart and buy it anyway.
10% of the proceeds should be send to Loyal SKA Troopers Fund.
Chris Brooke, Daily Mail
8 July 2005
WHEN seasoned bargain hunters Leslie and Wendy Hyde bought an old teapot for £2 at a car boot sale, never in their wildest dreams did they think they had found a sale of the century.
In fact they had stumbled across a rare antique Minton piece and yesterday, to their amazement, it sold at auction for £32,400.
The couple were at a car boot sale near their home in Tamworth, Staffordshire, last year when they discovered the pot. Mr Hyde, a 46-year-old council worker, said they were attracted by a crowd gathering at a van.
'People were snapping up little pieces of attractive pottery,' he said. 'By the time we'd nudged ourselves to the front everything had been sold and I was cursing my luck for not getting there sooner.
'However, the seller delved into the back of the van and pulled out a whole host of other bits and pieces. Among them was a colourful decorative teapot. It caught my eye straight away.'
With its bright colours and cat and mouse theme, the pot may not be everyone's cup of tea. It also had a cracked handle and damaged base, which had been glued back together.
But the Hydes were not put off and snapped it up for £2, unaware it was an antique, made in 1876 at the Minton factory near Stoke.
Eight months later they noticed an identical piece in an antiques brochure and realised they may have found the best bargain of all. So they called Christie's auction house for a valuation.
Experts expected the teapot to fetch £15,000-£20,000, but when it went under the hammer in South Kensington, London, yesterday a private buyer paid thousands more.
Teapots like this distinctive cat and mouse one were made in large quantities for relatively low cost. But Rod Woolley, head of European Ceramics at Christie's, said its shape and character meant it remained a valuable collectors' item. Mrs Hyde, 42, said: 'It's a dream come true.'
-------
What's the idea? Simple -- get Minton printed on some of your tat and start selling it on car boot sales. Don't claim its antique - people who read that article will think they are smart and buy it anyway.
10% of the proceeds should be send to Loyal SKA Troopers Fund.
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