BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br /> Pic: Sworders/BNPS<br /> <br /> The vital Qianlong stamp - that shows the vase was made for the Emperor and not for export.<br /> <br /> A humble Chinese vase bought for just £1 in a charity shop in Hertfordshire has sold for a staggering £484,000 yesterday - after research revealed it was made for 18th century Chinese Emperor Qianlong.<br /> <br /> At first the lucky shopper, unaware of its significance, listed the small yellow vase on eBay - only to be inundated with messages and bids.<br /> <br /> Realising it must be valuable, he removed it from the site and took it to specialists at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers' in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.<br /> <br /> They studied the 8ins tall vase and identified it as being Chinese imperial and made for the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned from 1735 to 1796.<br /> <br /> The vase sparked a bidding war, with the successful Chinese buyer paying six times the auction house's pre-sale estimate of £80,000.
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