Gorgeous Victorian ceramic bought for £25 in the Black Country decades ago could sell for thousands
One of the biggest Minton majolica ceramics pieces ever seen – bought for a few pounds in Walsall in 1950 – could sell for thousands of pounds at auction.
Some 74 years ago factory worker Anne Pincher paid £25 – the equivalent of £786 today – for the striking Victorian exhibition piece made by pottery firm Minton & Co, of Stoke-on-Trent.
The rare decorative object, which measures a mighty 99cm wide x 45cm deep x 62.5cm high, used to take pride of place in her front room in Darlaston.
But later her majestic Majolica was displayed on her landing where it ended up being filled with general bric-a-brac including tights.
It was a quirky but practical use for the piece which is listed in the 1871 Art Journal as 'Shell Flower Bearers'.
A similar example was displayed at London’s Victoria and Albert Exhibition in 1873.
It has dramatic curves and an elaborate shell shape, seemingly held aloft by two mermaids with golden tresses.
Intoxicating thanks to its colour and detail, it is one of the biggest Minton majolica ceramics pieces Hansons Auctioneers has ever offered at auction.
Anne’s daughter, Marilyn, a retired legal secretary from Walsall, said. “When mum first bought her Minton she put it in the front room for everyone to see.
"In later years it had to be moved upstairs and she put it on the landing. Due to its shape and size, it ended up being filled with bric-a-brac and the odd pair of tights.
“Mum loved antiques and filled her house with them.
