Charity shop finds sold for thousands at auction

The blue and yellow dish was given an estimate of £1,500-£2,000 but sold for £7,620

Two pieces of Chinese porcelain discovered in charity shops have sold for thousands of pounds at auction.

The items were taken to Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury, whose chairman and Asian art specialist, John Axford, identified them as Chinese works from the 19th Century.

A "five dragon" dish, which was due to be sold at a Dorset charity shop for £2, went under the hammer for £7,620 and a blue and white "dragon" bottle vase sold for £5,080.

"These discoveries highlight the extraordinary treasures that can still be found in the most unexpected places," said Mr Axford.

An astute manager at the charity shop in Blandford Forum thought it was worth getting the dish valued.

Mr Axford said he "immediately recognised" the period of the piece, due to its distinctive blue and yellow decoration.

Further findings, such as the six-character Emperor Daoguang mark of the period (1821-1850) also confirmed its link to the Chinese Imperial Collection.

The proceeds will go directly to the charity of the shop where it was discovered.

"These do not come onto the market very often; they're usually held in public collections or sometimes in private collections and this one has been languishing about somewhere in the south west of England," said Mr Axford.

"A lot of quite important Chinese imperial porcelains were brought back to Europe following the fall of the Qing dynasty.

"Almost all of the interest in the sale was from mainland China and Hong Kong," he said.

The bottle vase was bought in a charity shop in Surrey for £100

The blue and white bottle vase was spotted by an eagle-eyed shopper in a charity shop in Surrey, for which she paid £100.

Impressed by its craftsmanship, she brought the piece to Mr Axford, who confirmed that it dated from the first half of the 19th Century.

"Not only are these items culturally and historically significant but in the case of the dish, the sale will directly benefit a good cause," he added.