Shocking! antique ‘teapot’ worth Rs 95 lakh found while cleaning the house during lockdown

A 51-year-old man recently had a change of fortune after a lockdown clear-out of his home unearthed an antique teapot worth up to £1,00,000 (Rs 95 lakhs).

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The finder, who is a semi-retired manual worker, had no clue about the item's true value and even considered giving it away to a charity shop.

The item was collecting dust in the loft of the man's house after being moved to the garage.

Once it was rediscovered, the man decided to take it to an expert at an auction house in order to know its actual worth.

The 15cm wide teapot turned out to be a rare imperial Beijing-enamelled wine ewer dating back to the Qianlong period between 1735 and 1799. Its current day worth is up to £1,00,000.

"When I took it to Hansons [auctioneers] I was still unsure so dug out a few other bits and pieces for them to value in case they laughed at me when I pulled out the teapot," the 51-year-old was quoted by Mirror.co.uk

"It is such an exciting discovery, an imperial 18th century wine ewer which would have graced a palace in China and was, perhaps, handled by Emperor Qianlong, considered by some to be the greatest Chinese emperor,” said Hanson.

The teapot will be auctioned by Hanson Auctioneers on 24 September. Its actual worth is estimated to be £20,000-£40,000 but could fetch £1,00,000 due to its rarity.

The owner said the teapot has been with his family for a long time and his mother used to display it in a cabinet before her death 20 years ago.

He added that it was probably bought to England from China by his grandfather who was stationed in the eastern country during the Second World War.