In Britain, a family decided to sell garden statues, and they turned out to be precious ancient Egyptian relics from a thousand years ago.
The sculptures were auctioned for 265 thousand dollars (over 19 million rubles). This is 500 times higher than the originally advertised lot price. Statues of sphinxes stood in the garden of an apartment building in the small town of Sudbury, Suffolk, in eastern England.
At an auction in England, it was unexpectedly revealed that a pair of carved stone statues that the family were using as garden decorations were from ancient Egyptian artifacts thousands of years old. The price of sculptures cosmically rose in an instant. This was reported by the TV channel & nbsp; CNN.
The chairman of the auction house James Mander told reporters they had been contacted by a family who, during their move, wished to get rid of the items of their former House.
'Strongly weathered' Sphinx statues were used to decorate the patio in the garden. According to auction house documents, the statues were purchased for several hundred pounds in another auction 15 years ago and were believed to be copies of ancient Egyptian relics from the Eighteenth century.
“ The previous owners tied the head of a statue with cement, as it fell, '' shares details James Mander. & ndash; We didn't ask the owners many questions and have auctioned the sculptures for prices ranging from £ 300 to £ 500 ($ 410 to $ 680). From the start of the auction, the auction went crazy! ''
The Sphinxes turned out to be true works of art !. Photo: cnn.com/Screenshot
Within 15 minutes, four phone bidders and numerous online shoppers raised the final price to £ 195,000 plus a 24% buyer's premium. The final sale was made by an international art gallery.
“ The expert opinion determined that the sculptures & mdash; authentic ancient Egyptian specimens, which were sort of seen as 18th-century copies, ”the auctioneers said in a statement.
The organizers of the auction said the sellers of the garden statues had no idea of the statues' real value. But now their family budget has been replenished with a large sum from the auction. & Nbsp;
How did the Sphinxes get to England?
Mander said that in the 18th century, English aristocrats traveled across Europe for educational purposes and to purchase art during the Grand Tours.
“ We assume these were 18th century Grand Tour artifacts, '' Mander told CNN. & ndash; The sculptures are thousands of years old and they are real. It is truly an amazing event, 'he said.
The auctioneer added that the previous owners who sold the sphinxes for a few hundred dollars were & # 39; & # 39; beyond understanding ' surprised.
Mander noted that work is underway to trace the origin of the statues.
“ I wonder where they have been for the last 5,000 years? It & # 39; s really amazing, “he said.
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