Necklace almost priced at £15 for car boot sale later sold for £99,000
Imagine a dusty car boot sale where a unique necklace fashioned from human hair and whale bone was nearly sold for just £15. Fortunately, it caught the eye of an expert at Ewbank's auction house, revealing its immense worth, which fetched an incredible £99,000 at auction. This story underscores the vital role of appraisals in recognizing hidden treasures that often go unnoticed in clearance sales.
A rare 18th-century Polynesian necklace, originally priced at £15 for a car boot sale, sold for £99,000 at Ewbank's auctioneers in Surrey. The piece, crafted from human hair and sperm whale bone, was discovered during a house clearance and belonged to a category of Polynesian material culture highly sought after by collectors and museums.
The necklace's age, rarity, and cultural significance contributed to its extraordinary value. Auction house senior partner Chris Ewbank described it as a rare late 18th-century necklace from the Austral Islands, emphasizing its tribal art significance. The bidding war between a French bidder and an Australian telephone bidder resulted in the necklace's sale for £99,000, setting a new record at Ewbank's in 2016 and the highest price on their live bidding platform.
This remarkable turn of events highlights the importance of expert assessment and underscores the potential hidden value in seemingly ordinary objects found during home clearances.
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