An Edinburgh sculpture was bought for £20,000 by a British man who didn't realise he was accidentally bidding against himself.
Gareth Palmer made the mistake of entering into a bidding war with both of his accounts in October 2021 after ending up on eBay following a bottle of wine. However, the 62-year-old, from Derby, is now set to make a huge profit on his hilarious error, with the sculpture now valued at over a staggering £100,000.
Speaking about the purchase, Gareth explained that he had been browsing online when he came across the unique piece called "Twisting by the Pool" by renowned Scots sculptor Malcolm Robertson.
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Spanning over 14ft, the huge artwork caught Gareth's eye, and he began bidding on eBay to get his hands on it. However, unbeknown to him, he had been using both of his accounts to bid on it, driving the price up to just under £20,000.
The Echo also reports that following the purchase, the local businessman had to fork out a further £5,000 just to get the sculpture from Edinburgh down to England.
Due to its size, the artwork also required an £800 police escort to get it down the road, but Gareth is set to make his money back and more when the piece goes back to auction next month.
Made from stainless steel, the Roberston original was made in 1996 out of steel as a notion to a former company in Rosyth which had closed down.
Now set to appear at Hansons Auctioneers, Gareth said: "It was bought by a Scottish blacksmith in 2001 and he kept it in his yard for many years. He eventually decided to sell and it ended up on eBay. I spotted it and must admit I’d drank a bottle-and-a-bit of wine when I started bidding.
"I have two eBay accounts, one on my iPad and one on my iPhone. I eventually outbid myself and won it. I realised it was an important sculpture.
"My research led me to Malcolm Robertson’s website. He’s a multiple-award-winning sculptor with a broad portfolio of work dotted around the UK and abroad.
“I understand this is the first time one of his sculptures has become available to buy at a traditional auction. I’m also told Twisting by the Pool originally cost £70,000 when it was made 26 years ago.
“I paid under £20,000 and it cost me around £5,500 to get it transported from Scotland to Derbyshire. Then there was one failed collection attempt because I was told it was four metres high.
"It turned out to be 4.4m and the lorry couldn’t get it under a low bridge. That cost me £600."
Gareth said the work has been "hidden away" for some two decades but it "deserves to be seen and on public display".
He added: “It’s going to auction with an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 but I think it’s worth £100,000. You couldn’t even make it today for £20,000. Plus, it is a unique work of art by a respected sculptor.
"I’m hoping for a Del-Boy-moment at the auction where you’ll see me fall over backwards with shock as the hammer falls. That’s what I want.”
Robertson graduated in sculpture at Glasgow School of Art in 1974 and was awarded a teaching diploma by Jordanhill College of Education in 1975. After three years spent working as an art teacher in Argyll, he went on to win international recognition for his work as Town Artist at Glenrothes, Scotland, from 1978-1990.
He liaised with the planning department to create site-specific sculpture, artworks and murals. He established a professional practice in 1991 and has an extensive portfolio of sculptures and artworks in the UK, Germany, India and the USA.
Twisting by the Pool will be sold by Hansons Auctioneers, based in Etwall, Derbys., on September 27.
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