Statue bought at car boot sale is sold for a massive £15,500

Originally auctioneers at Bellmans in Wisborough Green estimated the value of the statue at £5,000 - £8,000.

The Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of Green Tara, dating from the 16th century, aroused a great deal of competitive bidding both in the auction room, on-line and over the telephone.

The quality of the statue was immediately recognised at one of Bellmans open valuation days by Bellmans Oriental specialist Philip Howell. He said: “We are delighted to include items of this calibre within our monthly antiques sales.

“There was a great deal of competitive interest amongst Asian and European collectors alike, which shows that even in provincial salerooms such as Bellmans, items will realise exceptional prices for their vendors.”

The delighted seller was present in the saleroom to watch the lot fly away, and needed five minutes with a restorative cup of tea after the hammer went down on her car boot special ‘find.’.

Bellmans next auction runs from March 12 - 17. Meanwhile, a collection of vintage motorbikes and cars are to be sold at an auction on March 24.

The collection - which includes a 1925 Harley Davidson, thought to be worth up to £15,000 - was owned by a local man who has since died.

The cars section is led by a 1959 Auto-Union DKW 3=6, which is expected to realise £2,000-3,000, but also features a vintage Co-op delivery van.

The collection comes from the estate of a locally based collector, and will be open for extended evening viewing on Wednesday March 23 from 9am – 7pm.

Further information is available from [email protected].