Sotheby’s would not identify the lucky bowl sellers, only to say that they were a family from somewhere in New York state.I can see why they don't want to be known. It's best that the people who sold it to them never realize what happened.
March 20, 2013
Bowl bought for $3 at a garage sale is sold for $2.2 million.
It was a Ding bowl from the Northern Song dynasty — a thousand years old.
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33 comments:
I wonder how they came to take it to Southeby's? It looks like a dime store candy bowl from the 1960's.
That and the simple fact that it's a net disadvantage when people know you have money, especially new money.
"It's best that the people who sold it to them never realize what happened."
Plus, I'd prefer that every Tom, Dick, and hairy blog reader doesn't know I just came into 2.2 mil., thank you.
Especially hairy old bagoh "I'll gladly pay you back Tuesday" 20.
Hey, I'm the one who sold it for $3, and I new what it was worth. That's how rich and awesome I am.
You were rich. Now you're just awesome.
Antiques Road Show on steroids.
Like winning the lottery, this will never happen to me. I don't buy lottery tickets and I don't go to garage sales.
And a damned good spellar too.
I would throw that thing out if I had it. I mean a thousand years? That bowl is worn out, and who knows what's been in it.
I'm not buying the garage sale story.
But if I was gonna purchase a 2 million dollar bowl, I would definitely go through the Althouse Amazon portal.
Gold star for Rabel!
I wonder if it was at one time in a garage sale in China 1000 years ago. It was someone's junk then, and nobody bought it, until some white guy showed up centuries later. Like those Roman stones in the museum that they recently determined were used to wipe Roman ass. One man's toilet rock is another's priceless artifact. Those rocks should be on a motivational poster that says "Salesmanship".
sydney said...
"I wonder how they came to take it to Southeby's? It looks like a dime store candy bowl from the 1960's."
The dime store bowl would have a faint mark, like those Made in China thing, in classical Chinese, would be so faint and nondescript that only those who knew would recognize it. Ergo, the buyer must be a collector.
Unless they see the bowl on the news tonight.
Hey, Meade. I'm trying to put an Althouse Amazon shortcut on my desktop. I did "copy shortcut" on the "shop Amazon" link and then "past shortcut" on my desktop.
Then, just now, I bought a copy of Churchill's Malakand Field Force using the desktop shortcut. The question is, did the shortcut hold the connection to the blog?
I'm not buying the garage sale story. - Rabel
Provenance is more than just a place in France.
If it was me I would probably give the garage sale sellers some money, if I knew that it wouldn't open me up to some kind of lawsuit from same said sellers. Cause I think it's bad karma to have taken them to the cleaners, even if by accident.
$50,000 ought to cover it.
This sounds like the kind of story you'd find if you sat around an googled "garage" 100 times per day.
Where would a guy go to find out how much his China bowl might be worth?
Makes the storage locker crazies seem a little less crazy.
I bought a $20 bowl at a garage sale for $3. It was a large vintage (since when is it "vintage" instead of "antique?") pyrex bowl.
It was a garage sale price for a garage sale bowl, even if they're trendy now. I didn't go to the lady and insist I pay her more.
However, I have done that "in game" when I bought something super cheap I knew was worth plat, resold it and then sent the original seller half the money I made.
And of course the obligatory 'They bought it for a Song'.
@Rabel: If they give me a report, I'll tell you tomorrow.
They bought it for a song and sold it for a Song.
Ding! Ding! We have a winner.
That is one seriously ugly bowl.
Nomennovum said...
Like winning the lottery, this will never happen to me. I don't buy lottery tickets and I don't go to garage sales.
When my uncle sold his house He told me I could have all of his step fathers wood working tools. This stuff hadn't been touched in 60 or 70 years so I packed it all up and took it home. 20 years later I decide to put the stuff on eBay. The Morris wood plane sold for 2,500 bucks.
Who knew?
@Rabel: sorry, nothing in the report showing Churchill's Malakand Field Force. Maybe it will show up tomorrow.
:"(I have a policy if/when I come into chunks of money to not spend nor invest it for a period of time, until I get used to it.)"
does this happen to you often? Please share.
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