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£2 Charity-Shop Dish and Donated Vase Identified as Daoguang-Era Pieces Sell for About £12,000

Expert attribution at Woolley & Wallis turned thrifted ceramics into funds for charity.

Overview

  • John Axford, chairman and Asian Art specialist at Woolley & Wallis, identified both items as 19th-century Chinese works from the Daoguang period using a six-character imperial mark and stylistic assessment.
  • The pieces sold in Woolley & Wallis’ Fine Asian Art sale on 11 November 2025, with both lots outperforming their pre-sale estimates.
  • The blue-and-yellow dragon dish, bought for about £2 in Dorset, achieved more than £7,000 at auction.
  • The ovoid bottle vase donated in Surrey with a £100 price tag realized £5,080 after competitive bidding and features three dragons chasing a sacred pearl among clouds, flames and waves.
  • Sale proceeds were donated to charity, according to reports published on 17 November.