A large Qing blue and white bottle vase with a Yongzheng (1723-35) mark sold for £150,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) at Halls in Shrewsbury on July 17.
Standing 22in (55cm) high, with significant damage to its rim, the vase (left) was competed for by 12 phone bidders before it was hammered down to an Asian buyer well above its £6000-10,000 estimate. According to the vendor, it was bought privately around 40 years ago in the Southport area and had been stored away in a warehouse for several years.