A FOUR-INCH vase bought for £2.50 at a charity shop could fetch £10,000 after it turned out to be a 19th-century Japanese masterpiece.
A young couple saw marks on the base showing it was by Namikawa Yasuyuki.
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The unnamed pair, from Epsom, Surrey, plan on making a large donation to the charity shop and take a holiday after the auction.
They lifted it up and saw the etched marks on the bottom which made them think it may be worth more than they forked out.
After parting with the small sum, they took the tiny vase home and did some research.
The couple then contacted Canterbury Auction Galleries, Kent, to get an expert opinion.
Their specialist revealed the vase as a late 19th century ‘cloisonne’ work by Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), one of the masters of the ‘Golden Age’ of Japanese enamelling.
Cloisonne is a technique that involves soldering delicate wire to a metal surface to create an outline.
The anonymous shoppper said: “My partner and I wandered into the charity shop to have a look around – I always head for the books and he heads off to look for art and vintage stuff.
“He’s not an expert but he does have great taste and an instinct for the ‘real thing’.
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“He came over and showed me the vase and I said something a bit dismissive like ‘very pretty’.
“He then showed me the etched marks on the base.
“When he found out it was by Namikawa Yasuyuki he was all a-quiver!”
A larger vase made by Yasuyuki, who in earlier life was a Samurai warrior, sold for £29,000 by the same auctioneers in 2019.
The sale takes place on July 19.
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