Bargain Hunt star's record-breaking seven-figure sale left BBC expert speechless

Charles Hanson was left speechless after being called to a client's home where he stumbled across a rare antique. The family he visited had allowed their children to play ball games around the sought after item. In an exclusive interview with Express, the Bargain Hunt expert revealed a porcelain vase which was used to prop open a door for more than 30 years had been revealed to be a rare Chinese relic worth £1million. After enquiring about its origins, he discovered the owners had inherited it in 1980 from their late great-aunt.

Their children had even played ball games around it when growing up without realising its importance and value. After taking it away for further research they soon identified the piece as a Chinese imperial vase made for the Emperor Qianlong in the mid-18th century. It was initially given a price an estimate of between £20,000 to £40,000 but BBC expert, Charles, said at the time it could achieve a sale price of £1m given the huge interest in it from the Chinese market.

Speaking about his rarest find, he shared: "I think it was when I found a vase. I went to go and see a client in Birmingham and they showed me a vase that belonged to their aunt. They used it as a door stop. It was in blue and white.

The cobalt blue was thickly applied and the vase wasn't marked but I sensed it was 18th century. I sensed it was imperial."

When the vase was taken to auction the antique ended up selling for a staggering six figures.

"[We found] it was made in an imperial Chinese household found in Birmingham and that vase in good condition sold for £800,000," the auctioneer added.

Meanwhile, Charles is currently fronting his new antique show Secret Life of the Auction House.

Viewers will get a chance to see Hanson auctioneers discover an array of rare finds from finding objects which belonged to a former Queen together with an Asian treasure found in Central London "which completely blew the auction apart".

To more heartfelt moments where he had to sell the contents of a client's beloved sweet shop that closed down.