King Charles II Buckinghamshire flea market mug sells for £12K

The mug far exceeded its guide price of £1,000 to £2,000

A chipped souvenir mug depicting King Charles II, which was picked up at a flea market for a few pounds, has sold for £12,000 at auction.

Claydon Auctioneers in Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, said the mug, dated 1660, was found at a local market.

Although tests could not prove the battered vessel was 360 years old, it attracted bidders and fetched much more than its £2,000 guide price.

The auctioneer said the sale made the couple who found it "very happy".

The mug was described in the auction catalogue as "a tin glazed commemorative mug with polychrome decoration depicting a bust length portrait of King Charles II, crowned and wearing armour and titled 'CD2 and 1660'".

The tin-glazed pottery mug was chipped and cracked

It is slightly less than 10cm (4in) tall and, as the Antiques Trade Gazette first reported, images of the king wearing armour are known from a few other items dating from the 17th Century.

The mug was sent for testing in a bid to authenticate its age, but the results proved inconclusive.

Experts were unable to verify the age of the mug

Auctioneer Louise Gostelow, who sold the mug, said: "Quite early on there was a lot of interest, but you just don't know.

"You don't see many of them and if the provenance could be verified, it could have sold for up to £70,000."

The guide price was between £1,000 and £2,000, but two eager telephone bidders pushed the sale to £12,000 plus auction house fees.

Ms Gostelow said it was a "topical and quite quirky thing" with the coronation of King Charles III due this year.

The couple who found the mug, who wished to remain anonymous, were "very happy" with the sale price, she confirmed.