I found £60k treasure in nan’s old things which she bought for £8 89 years ago – could your junk be worth a fortune?
A HIDDEN gem sat in plain sight collecting dust for 89 years before being discovered – and it could be worth £60,000.
The small jade box was bought by a Dorset farmhouse seller’s grandmother for just £8 as a present for her husband in 1934.
But the Chinese antique, thought to date from the 1800s, is now estimated to sell for 750 times its original price.
It had been put on a table as a display item for decades, but no one realised its worth until a routine valuation took place at the property.
The 5.5-inch keepsake was originally sold by John Sparks in Mayfair, London – the same dealers who supplied Queen Mary and received the Royal Warrant of Antiquary of Chinese Art in 1926.
It is set to go under the hammer at Charterhouse Auctioneers, where Auctioneer Richard Bromell said: “The little box was on a table on the landing of a Dorset farmhouse where I had been asked to value a few items for auction.
“It is a fabulous little box measuring 14-cm wide and was hidden in plain sight on top of a table along with other items of little value.
“Had the owners realised its value they would not have left it on the side table and dusted it every couple of weeks.”
The sale is set to take place on April 5 at the Dorset auction.
This comes as experts believe the average UK attic hides valuables totalling a staggering £1,922, and around £33billion worth of “junk” lurks in our cupboards and drawers.
Antiques expert Charlie Ross, who regularly appears on Bargain Hunt and Flog It! advised people to hunt for their vinyl LPs, Star Wars memorabilia, fountain pens and old mobiles among other things.
He also suggested looking for autographs that might have been collected by an elderly relative as they can go on to sell for hundreds of pounds.
Hasbro wrestling figures from the 1990s could also provide some cash, with some going on the market for more than £1,000.
Similarly, My Little Pony toys could fetch a lucky owner a bob or two.
“If they are in good condition, they are worth a lot. A collection of 30 sold recently for £800″, said Charlie.
Pokemon or old football trading cards and sticker albums can also be much sought-after and valuable, especially if the album is full.
And comic books can be worth thousands.
“If you come across a box of dusty old comics in the loft, those childhood stories could be worth a fortune,” Charlie says.
One woman found a rare hidden treasure in her mum’s socks.
Margaret Hood kept the haul of antique items hidden away from relatives and carers who had no idea they existed until she died last October aged 90.
Some of the great-gran’s incredible jewellery collection has already fetched £5,410 at auction and it is expected to make £20,000 in its entirety.
A dad-of-two is also hoping his collection of Pokémon cards will see him earn thousands at auction.
Gordon White has already cashed in by selling half of his collection, which fetched a whopping £200,000 when it went under the hammer in November last year.