£1,200 discovery nearly sold for £2!

Steven Parkinson, a valuer for Silverwoods of Clitheroe, was contacted by an Accrington couple who found an interesting-looking ornament wrapped up in newspaper while clearing out their loft.

They initially said they planned to sell it for a couple of pounds in a charity shop, but Steven, spotting a potential rarity from their description, told them to bring it in for a closer examination.

He immediately recognised it as a Moorcroft vase worth around £800, but would hope to sell it under the hammer for more like £1,200.

The vase had been stamped and sold by Joseph W Bridge, an ironmongers and steelworks company which started in 1870 in St James Street, Accrington. It moved to Church Street in 1890 where it later sold decorative items, including vases, before it closed in 1968.

Moorcroft Macintyre pottery is highly collectable and has fetched thousands of pounds with dealers from all over the world. Moorcroft's work was sold to prestigious shops including Tiffany's in New York and Libert's in London.

Steven said: "This particular vase had been put in a loft in Accrington. The owners called us for advice after they found it there.

"They said they planned to give to a charity shop to sell for a couple of quid, but I asked them to bring it in so I could have a look first.

"It could have been sold for next to nothing, but now I'd hope to fetch more than £800 for it. I'd hope it could go for at least £1,200."

The vase, which is decorated with a blue cornflower on a white background, will go under the hammer at Clitheroe Auction Mart on Thursday.

William Moorcroft was born in Burslem, Staffordshire in 1872, and joined James Macintyre's pottey firm in 1898. While there Moorcroft's work was sold to prestigious outlets across the world and he went on to win a gold medal for pottery at the 1904 St Louis Centennial Exhibition.

In 1913 the James Macintyre's company stopped making pottery, so William Moorcroft started his own pottery factory which still bears his name.