A generous retirement gift

A Chinese vase given to a cleaning woman as a retirement present in 1940 was described as "a lost treasure of the Qing dynasty" after it fetched £92,000 at auction in London yesterday.

It might have sold for more than £1 million had it been in perfect condition. But the cleaner, who lived in Chelsea, central London, polished it so much that she rubbed off most of the gold enamel.

She bequeathed the red, white and blue pot to her grandson, who kept it for years beside his television.

Posted by David on July 13, 2006 2:34 PM