Chinese ‘broken pots’ found in Lincolnshire attic sell for £166,000

Auctioneers taken aback by high price fetched by porcelain collected by local woman's grandfather during Boxer rebellion

Gill Stewart was in her attic rooting around for the Christmas decorations when she came upon the box unpromisingly labelled broken porcelain" passed on to her by her grandfather 20 years before.

Her first instinct was to put it in the bin but, happily, she decided to take it to an auctioneer on the off-chance and the pieces have netted her a very pleasant 160,000.