‘Ikea-style’ spoon bought for 20p from car boot fair sells for staggering £2,375 at auction
A MEDIEVAL spoon lying among "Ikea-style cutlery" and bought for just 20p from a car boot fair has sold for a staggering £2,375 at auction.
The eagle-eyed browser had the inside scoop when it came to spotting the ancient utensil mixed in with rather more modern versions.
The unnamed man saw the battered-looking spoon, with its long, thin handle at a stall while visiting a Greater London car boot sale.
He had a hunch that despite its bashed and twisted appearance, that it might be a rare Medieval spoon.
It was quickly snapped up for just 20p - less than one-third of the cost of a 2nd class stamp.
He was on a knife-edge while awaiting confirmation of his potential financial windfall after approaching Lawrences Auctioneers, of Crewkerne, Somerset.
But the auctioneers confirmed his bargain buy was going to reap a big reward.
Silver expert Alex Butcher identified it as dating from the late 13th century and put on a conservative estimate of £500.
Amongst the Ikea-style cutlery was this very old looking spoon
Alex Butcher, Lawrences Auctioneers
On the day of the sale, however, the spoon served up a massive surprise, and was hammered down at £1,900 following a fierce bidding war.
With extra fees, the internet buyer paid a whopping £2,375 - almost 12,000 times the amount spent at the car boot fair.
The slender five-inch-long spoon weighs a paltry 0.35oz and features an acorn knop - the earliest post Roman-European style - and four sided stem.
It is "in a damaged and contorted state", said the auctioneers.
Mr Butcher believes that the spoon may have been buried underground or in a river bed for centuries before re-emerging.
CAR BOOT SALES 'HOBBY'
Mr Butcher added: "The finder is not a silver dealer but someone who goes to car boot sales as a hobby - but clearly has a good eye.
"He went over to a stall where there was an assortment of Ikea-style modern cutlery, but amongst it was this very old looking spoon.
"He thought it was interesting so he bought it for 20p and contacted us through our website.
"When he described the spoon with its acorn knop I knew it was extremely old and once he sent it to us to look at I identified it as from the late 13th century."
The expert said the spoon's "condition is consistent with it being buried underground or in a river bed for centuries.
"It is crushed and damaged, possibly from the weight of boats going over it.
"Both the vendor and I were delighted with the result. It is a wonderful, romantic story.
"The vendor wrote me a lovely email saying he was watching the sale online with his daughter and couldn't believe it.
"I think he is planning to spend the money on a staycation holiday to the East of England."
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By comparison, shows that, back in 2013, a perfect Edward II silver acorn knop spoon dating back to 1300 was sold for £22,500.
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That was found as part of a hoard of spoons in the River Rother, near New Romney, Kent.
The utensil was displayed at The Victoria and Albert Museum after being loaned by Major Edward Bacheler Walker, nephew of the owner of the land on which the spoon was discovered.
