SUSAN Blevins of Bere Alston was cock-a-hoop after a late spring clean unearthed a piece of antique family china found to be worth a tidy sum.
Christmas has come early for Mrs Blevins who was told her grandmother's turkey plate was a well sought after Royal Doulton and would fetch £60 to £90 at auction.
The plate was 'rediscovered' in a rarely used cupboard and was one of a number of pieces of family china for which Mrs Blevins no longer had any use.
When she took it along to Michael Newman's open counter valuation morning in the Bedford Hotel in Tavistock last Friday, the auctioneer was delighted to see such a fine example of a turkey plate, made by the Royal Doulton factory around 1870.
'I had not planned to go to the valuation morning — it just happened to be that someone offered to drive me in,' said Mrs Blevins. 'When I was told how much the turkey plate was worth, it was a complete surprise — it was in very good condition and it had not been used for 20 years because we no longer have 25lb turkeys at Christmas.'
Mrs Blevins had in fact brought several pieces of china along and Mr Newman agreed to enter the lot into a sale at the Plymouth Auction Rooms on October 29.
'I really did not expect anything to come of it but I was glad I went along,' added Mrs Blevins. 'My grandmother probably got a lot of use out of that plate and so did I, but sitting in a cupboard it is no use to anyone.'
'I am glad I delayed the spring cleaning because this has come just in time for Christmas,' she added.
Mrs Blevins said she would be giving some of the money from the sale to her grandchildren.
Mr Newman's next open counter valuation morning at the Bedford Hotel will be on November 21.