A vase found in a house clearance which the owners thought was worth about £800 ($1,290) sold at auction for £43 million ($69m)!!! BBC News - Qianlong Chinese porcelain vase sold for £43m Why doesn't this happen to me?!? lol
Well seeing as this is a really old piece from the height of Asian imperialism, China could be looking for some reimbursement.
Some entrepenuers in China have become really rich and toss money in various directions. Collecting art is one of those directions. Another, when you go from Chengdu airport to city center you pass the big road with car dealerships. Now included are Lamborghini, Rolls etc. Davesrose, could you please explain? There are official govenrment efforts here to reclaim objects looted (or liberated if you prefer) from palaces, but those do not seem to extend down to the odd vase. I believe this is just rich guys looking for paleo-bling. The competitive bidding was apparently intense. I wonder about the auction house' commision; seems to escape mention at the various news sites I could see. Would 10% of the sale price be typical?
The commission came to an extra £8.6 million ($13.85 m) plus sales tax at an additional 17.5%!!! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...kcase-insured-just-800.html?ito=feeds-newsxml