£874,000 for £300 vases

Amazed punters at a rural auction saw a pair of vases valued at £300 sold for £874,000 yesterday - 3,000 times their estimate.

The new owner of the Chinese moon flask jars, who is thought to be based in the Far East, won the bidding by phone.



Two other bidders - both said to be Chinese - were in the auction room pushing the price up.

The winning bid for the the intricately painted ornaments was £760,000 plus a 15 per cent commission for the Henry Adams auction house.