Pot donated to charity sells for $565K

BRISTOL, England, May 28 (UPI) -- A British hospice said a pot donated to its charity shop turned out to be a rare Chinese artwork and sold for $565,416.

Janet Loud, head of shops for St. Peter's Hospice in Bristol, England, said a worker suspected the pot of being worth more than it appeared and gave it to experts, who identified it as a bamboo creation of popular Chinese artist Gu Jue between 1662 and 1722, Metro.co.uk reported Monday.

John Axford, an expert on Chinese valuables for Woolley and Wallis sales, which handled the sale of the pot, described it as "incredibly rare."

"It is signed with the mark of Gu Jue, followed by the seal Zong Yu, which is probably a studio mark," he said.