From rags to riches
In 2013, a man browsing in a Sydney op shop purchased an unusual cup for $4.
Its uniqueness caused him to research its origins. He sent a picture to Sotheby’s, who confirmed that it was indeed both rare and valuable. The buyer had unknowingly purchased a 17th century Chinese ‘libation cup’ carved from the horn of a rhinoceros. He went on to sell it at auction for more than $75,000.
But this story pales when compared to a lucky American who in 2007 purchased a small bowl for US$3 at a garage sale in New York state, which they went on to sell for US$2.225 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Little did the purchaser know that the bowl that they had kept on their mantelpiece, with no idea of its worth, was in fact a 1,000-year-old treasure. The Ding ware bowl was an example of Northern Song Dynasty pottery and described by Sotheby’s as remarkable and exceptionally beautiful. The only other known bowl of the same size, form and similar decoration has been in the collection of the British Museum in London for more than 60 years.
Oh that old thing
What is the oldest thing you’ve got at your house? Perhaps it’s a vintage motorbike or a toy that belonged to your grandad. Something handed down or discovered in an antique shop. Send us a photo of the item, and regale us with its backstory: how old it is, where did it come from and why do you have it. The item and story that best piques our interest will win $1,000.
How: send us a photo of the oldest item at your home, including its backstory.
Send to: havencompetitions@afgonline.com.au
Include: your name, address, email, phone number and the name of your mortgage broker.
Dates: opens on August 12 and closes on October 13.
Winner: will be decided on October 14 and notified by telephone after this time.
Terms and conditions: visit http://bit.ly/HavenWin
Oh my dog! We had a record number of entries to our latest Fashionista Fido Haven competition.
This overwhelming response is hardly surprising when you learn that there are 29 million pets in Australia – easily outnumbering the human population. With so many purrfect entries the job of choosing a winner was ruff – but it was also very fun to view hundreds of adorable photos of your furry and feathered friends. Thank you to everyone that took the time to enter and congratulations to Steve for winning with his snap and tail of Lily and Ziggy, resplendent in their outfits and display of sibling love. For what is cuter than one dressed up doggie? Two of course!
From Steve:
“Lily (left) is big sister to Ziggy (right). She adores her little brother. Lily doesn’t like the cold though, so in winter she loves wearing something warm and soaking up the sun. Ziggy on the other hand prefers the natural look and uses Lily as his personal heater. His favourite sleeping position is resting his head on top of Lily’s butt. She doesn’t seem to mind, even though he’s now grown a lot bigger than her and yet he still comes to his big sister for comfort and warmth.”
