Cash in the attic! Haul of broken crockery that was almost binned sells at auction for £200,000 By Poppy Atkinson Gibson Published: 22:49, 4 July 2024 | Updated: 22:58, 4 July 2024 e-mail View comments A box of broken porcelain left forgotten in an attic for more than 20 years has sold for almost £200,000. Gill Stewart had been left the box of crockery by her grandfather, who was stationed in China during the Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20th century, but assumed they were largely worthless due to damage. She discovered the box again when she went into the attic of her home in Benniworth, Linconshire, to get her Christmas decorations down and considered just throwing it in the bin.
But she decided to take it to John Taylors Auctions in Louth to see if it was worth selling. They gave the collection an estimate of £740-1,350, but the interest in Chinese porcelain saw the 13 lots go for a staggering £162,000 hammer price, rising to £196,992 including fees. Auctioneer James Laverack (pictured) was impressed by the crockery haul which Gill Stewart had kept her in attic for years and went under the hammer for £162,000 at auction Ms Stewart's grandfather Brigadier Robert Kellie OBE, collected the pieces between 1899 and 1901, and it comprised pieces mainly from the Daoguang to the Guangxu periods Ms Stewart discovered the box again when she went into the attic of her home in Benniworth, Linconshire, to get her Christmas decorations down and considered just throwing it in.
