I paid £25 for a ceramic mermaid… now I’ve discovered it’s worth thousands
A mum who paid just £25 for a ceramic mermaid and used it to store clothes has now discovered it is worth a fortune.
Anne Pincher purchased the Victorian ceramic twin mermaid bowl from an antique dealer friend in 1950.
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She paid £25 – the equivalent of £786 today – and proudly displayed it in her front room to impress friends and neighbors.
The showy ornament, which measures a whopping 99 cm (39 in) by 62.5 cm (24 in), is one of the largest Minton majolica ceramic pieces ever made.
When Anne died in 1995, the vase was given to her daughter Marilyn.
She kept it safely at her home, but has now decided to sell it for others to enjoy.
It ended up being filled with trinkets and a pair of tights
Anne’s daughter Marilyn
It is expected to fetch £6,000 but could sell for much more when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on March 21.
Anne’s daughter, Marilyn, a retired legal secretary from Walsall, West Midlands, 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.
“Because of its shape and size, it ended up being filled with trinkets and a pair of tights.
“My mother loved antiques and filled her house with them. She probably put a small deposit on the Minton and paid it in full when she could afford it.
‘She bought it from some antique dealer friends in Walsall.
‘God knows how she carried it the few miles to her home in Darlaston.
“Probably by horse and cart.”
The richly decorated vase was produced in the 1870s by the Minton & Co pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
Minton was the most important ceramic factory in Europe during the Victorian era, producing work for the Houses of Parliament and the United States Capitol.
A similar piece was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Exhibition in London in 1873.
It has dramatic curves and an elaborate shell shape, seemingly held aloft by two mermaids with golden locks.
Marilyn decided to part with the vase while she was cleaning out her house.
She says: “I inherited the piece when my mother died in 1995 at the age of 83. It is extremely scarce due to its size.
“It is twice the size of a smaller piece that Minton manufactured known as the ‘Flower Holder’.
“In 1997 Antiques Roadshow came to Walsall and I contacted them.
‘They were kind enough to ask one of their experts, the late Henry Sandon, to interview me.
“Henry said my mother’s Minton was worth £10,000 but to get it insured for £15,000.
For the past few years it has been in a guest room under sheets and blankets
Marilyn
“I have enjoyed owning it. It used to stand proudly on a table in the front room.
“But because of its value, it has been in a spare room under sheets and blankets for the past few years.
“I’m currently cleaning up and decided it was time to let go.
‘It’s a shame to have it hidden. It was created as a large display piece for all to see.
‘I hope it can be purchased by an avid Minton collector or even a ceramics museum.
“It’s nice to see it getting some love and attention again from people who appreciate antiques.
“It must be of star quality as a similar Minton Majolica piece was used in Daddy Warbucks’ country house in the 1982 film Annie, starring Albert Finney.
“I’m not sure how many similar examples exist, but according to our research, they are very few.”
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