Another ancient Egyptian artifact fails to be treated for what it’s worth, only this time instead of being allegedly glued back together, the artifact nearly ended up in the trash.
A bronze cat figure, estimated to be around 2,500 years old, sold for $80,000 last week at an auction at the Penzance Auction House in the United Kingdom. It fetched several times the original asking valuation.
The statue was re-discovered last year after Dourine Liddell passed away at 95. It is believed that the great-grandmother had no idea how old the cat was.
Her relatives were going to throw the figure away when they were clearing out her Cornish cottage, but it was rescued from the trashcan by a local auctioneer, David Lay. He originally thought it was an imitation, but upon further inspection, realized he might have something very valuable on his hands.
But how did a Cornish widow end up with an ancient Egyptian statue? Liddell's husband, Douglas Liddlel, used to be a managing director at Spink & Son, a London firm that handled sales of Egyptian antiquities. He was said to have had “business links to Howard Carter, the famous archaeologist who excavated the tomb of Tutankhamun,” according to the BBC report . When Lay, the family auctioneer learned this, it all fit into place.
The figure contained the mumified remains of a cat, in addition to gold hoop earrings. It has been authenticated by the leading expert at the British Museum.
For more on the story, watch the full BBC report by Jon Kay: