The phrase “someone’s trash is someone’s treasure” came true for one man who landed £48,000 after he stumbled upon a pair of extremely rare buttons that cost him just £40.
Gary Quittenton-Shaw, from Rowsley near Matlock, Derbyshire, found the items in a job lot in Derby and after some research, he discovered they were made by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti for Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s.
The buttons were sold individually at Bonhams auctioneers in Knightsbridge London for £61,000 before fees.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Quittenton-Shaw said: “I was in disbelief, I’m no antiques expert, I don’t do this for a living.”
Gary Quittenton-Shaw Image of Gary. He is wearing a navy suit jacket and a white shirt. He is wearing glasses and is stood in front of
Mr Quittenton-Shaw said he was in “disbelief” at the amount the buttons sold for at auction
The 58-year-old said he bought a selection of items from a job lot, which included the buttons from Bamfords Auctioneers in Spondon, Derby, in July.
The buttons, which are 1.5in (4cm) in diameter and depict a woman emerging from an ocean – “caught his eye” and began to carry out some research on his newly acquired items.
“I found similar buttons on a suit which was designed by Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s,” he said.
“I thought ‘wow, they cannot be’ and after my first investigation, it turns out they were made by Alberto Giacometti.”
Mr Giacometti was best known for elongated, and fragile sculptures of the human form throughout the 20th Century.
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