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Priceless paintings, vases and other treasures people didn't know they owned

Treasure sat right under people's noses
Dead man's treasure hidden in abandoned furniture: $30,000 (£23.3k)
Dead man's treasure hidden in abandoned furniture: $30,000 (£23.3k)
The René Lalique vase that was dumped in the loft: $51,600 (£42.6k)
The René Lalique vase that was dumped in the loft: $51,600 (£42.6k)
The doorstop that turned out to be a meteorite: $100,000 (£85k)
The doorstop that turned out to be a meteorite: $100,000 (£85k)
The Meiji vase in Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto: $110,000 (£85k)
The Meiji vase in Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto: $110,000 (£85k)
Two gold bars found in grandmother's sheets: $102,200 (£78.6k)
Two gold bars found in grandmother's sheets: $102,200 (£78.6k)
The Roman planter found in a decrepit garden: $107,800 (£89k)
The Roman planter found in a decrepit garden: $107,800 (£89k)
The lost Aboriginal painting hanging in a government office: $115,000 (£94.9k)
The lost Aboriginal painting hanging in a government office: $115,000 (£94.9k)
A rare Chinese vase found in a house clearance: $260,000 (£200k)
A rare Chinese vase found in a house clearance: $260,000 (£200k)
The Ancient Egyptian sphinxes in an English garden: $265,000 (£195k)
The Ancient Egyptian sphinxes in an English garden: $265,000 (£195k)
The Avant-Garde masterpiece spotted in the Stuart Little movie: $270,000 (£208k)
The Avant-Garde masterpiece spotted in the Stuart Little movie: $270,000 (£208k)
Star Wars toys left in a garage: $330,000 (£250k)
Star Wars toys left in a garage: $330,000 (£250k)
The Tiepolo drawing found in an attic: $340,000 (£250k)
The Tiepolo drawing found in an attic: $340,000 (£250k)
The Chinese Song dynasty pot sitting on a dresser: $443,000 (£320k)
The Chinese Song dynasty pot sitting on a dresser: $443,000 (£320k)
The Old Master painting discovered in a spare room: $655,000 (£540k)
The Old Master painting discovered in a spare room: $655,000 (£540k)
The Qing famille rose vase left in storage: $761,900 (£550,000)
The Qing famille rose vase left in storage: $761,900 (£550,000)
The gold coins found in the walls of a French mansion: $1.2 million (£893k)
The gold coins found in the walls of a French mansion: $1.2 million (£893k)
The tired old blanket found in a closet: $1.5 million (£1.2m)
The tired old blanket found in a closet: $1.5 million (£1.2m)
An 18th-century bust propping open a shed: $1.7 million (£1.4m)
An 18th-century bust propping open a shed: $1.7 million (£1.4m)
The missing antique cabinet gracing a pizza joint: $1.8 million (£1.5m)
The missing antique cabinet gracing a pizza joint: $1.8 million (£1.5m)
The gift that turned out to be a Canaletto: $2.4 million (£2m)
The gift that turned out to be a Canaletto: $2.4 million (£2m)
The Constable hanging under the stairs: $2.8 million (£2.3m)
The Constable hanging under the stairs: $2.8 million (£2.3m)
The dining room Rembrandt nobody liked: $3.7 million (£2.8m)
The dining room Rembrandt nobody liked: $3.7 million (£2.8m)
The museum-quality Japanese chest used as a TV stand: $7.6 million (£6.3m)
The museum-quality Japanese chest used as a TV stand: $7.6 million (£6.3m)
A painting by Fragonard spotted in a French apartment: $9.1 million (£6.6m)
A painting by Fragonard spotted in a French apartment: $9.1 million (£6.6m)
Long-lost Cimabue found hanging in kitchen: $26.5 million (£20.3m)
Long-lost Cimabue found hanging in kitchen: $26.5 million (£20.3m)
Three exquisite Ming vases used as umbrella stands: up to $64.4 million (£53.1m)
Three exquisite Ming vases used as umbrella stands: up to $64.4 million (£53.1m)
Three exquisite Ming vases used as umbrella stands: up to $64.4 million (£53.1m)
The 34-carat diamond in the jewellery box
The 34-carat diamond in the jewellery box
44 of 56
Courtesy Nye & Company

The dining room Rembrandt nobody liked: $3.7 million (£2.8m)

An unassuming New Jersey home is the last place you'd expect to find a painting by Dutch Old Master Rembrandt van Rijn, so brothers Ned, Roger and Steven Landau could be forgiven for overlooking the masterpiece that had hung in their parents' Teaneck dining room for decades. After their parents passed away, the brothers decided to get a valuation of the artwork, which their grandfather had bought in the 1930s, and called on the services of John and Kathy Nye (pictured) of the Nye & Company auction house in Bloomfield, who immediately recognised it as a lost Rembrandt.

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lovemoney staff

05 April 2022

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