Tiny blue cup dismissed as a ‘dusty old pot’ and kept in a cupboard for 30 years is found to be a Ming Dynasty treasure worth almost £4MILLION
Four inch vessel was put in storage in 1984 and lay forgotten for three decades until a clear-out last year
A CUP kept in a cupboard for 30 years and dismissed as a "dusty old pot" has been sold for nearly £4 MILLION - after it turned out to be a Ming Dynasty antique.
The four-inch-tall vessel was put in storage in 1984 after being on display since the Second World War.
It lay forgotten for over three decades - until staff at Staffordshire University did a clear-out last year.
They noticed the blue and white cup sitting in an unlocked cupboard "cluttering up" a corridor.
Boffins were stunned when it turned out to be a Stem Cup from the Ming Dynasty dating back to 1425.
Bearing the six-character mark of the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Xuande, it also features a fearsome five-clawed dragon flying amongst flames.
The cup went on sale today in Hong Kong with auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull – and it was sold for £3.6m.
Professor Flavia Swann, Head of Art and Design History at the university, said the antiques were only rediscovered after another department head said: "I've got some dusty old pots cluttering up my corridor, would you like to have a look?"
She added: "They were just in unlocked cabinets with sliding doors that when you slide them back they literally fell out to the floor. Nothing broke fortunately."
The cup was one of more than 270 pieces donated to the college – then called North Staffordshire Technical College - in 1944 by Ernest Thornhill.
The London pharmacist had gifted his Asian ceramics collection to stop them being destroyed in The Blitz.
Staffordshire University sold the historic Chinese relic after its discovery last year in a bid to fund a secure display for the rest of the collection.
Rosy Crehan, deputy Vice-Chancellor at the university, said: "The value of the entire collection has increased significantly in recent years to the point where the University is not able to house and display it securely.
"The only reason for selling is so that we can raise the funds to do that."
Antiques Roadshow expert Steven Moore, 49, who is a creative director at Burleigh pottery, in Middleport, Staffs., added: "This is one of the greatest unseen collections of Chinese porcelain in the country.
"It covers every era of Chinese porcelain, with some dating back thousands of years.
"It's great that people will be able to view the collection as Mr Thornhill wished."
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