A LUCKY shopper has landed a large fortune after sparing a few dollars for a special cup that they found at a thrift shop in Melbourne.
The thrifter was shocked to learn that the item they pawned in 2013 was actually an exceptionally rare Chinese "libation cup" carved from rhinoceros horn worth over $75,000.
Historically, libation cups have been used as part of a cultural tradition of pouring a liquid or food, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or to memorialize those who have passed away.
When the thrifter saw the item on the shelf, he had no clue that it was over 300 years old.
Yet, something about the chalice seemed special, so they decided to purchase it.
Shortly after, the anonymous buyer began to do some research and sent photos of the intricate cup to an art consultant at Sotheby's.
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Ann Roberts, who specializes in Asian Art, was able to confirm that the precious libation cup was worth much more than $4.
Roberts gave the item a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000, but the winning bid stretched up to $75,640, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The art consultant said that the original owner was blown away when she told him the final bid price.
"He was very pleased," she said before explaining that it's unusual for ordinary people to stumble across such valuable items.
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"They don't look immediately attractive to the untrained eye," she noted.
The rhino horn cup is highly sought after by Asian collectors, but the process of moving such a special item is not simple.
Materials such as rhinoceros horn are subject to CITES licensing restrictions to qualify to be sent overseas.
While the libation cup is certainly an impressive find, other items have been pawned and sold across the world for even more outrageous sums.
Only a few months before the libation cup sold, a Chinese 'Ding' bowl was purchased for over two million at another Sotheby's auction.
The sellers stumbled upon the bowl at a neighborhood tag sale a few over five years earlier and had no clue about its true value.
Sotheby's has not released the identity of the buyer of the prized rhino horn cup.
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