A battered storage box a dad bought for £12 from a junk shop is set to sell for thousands of pounds - after it turned out to be a rare Louis Vuitton steamer trunk.
The dad bought the vintage luggage in 1984 for just over £10 which he then gave to his daughter who was moving into a flat. He paid £12 for the trunk from a bric-a-brac shop in village of St Margarets, near Twickenham, London.
The daughter, Melissa, stored sheets and linen in the trunk for years before realising its true value. Melissa took it along to the Antiques Roadshow last year and was stunned to learn it was worth thousands.
READ MORE: DWP's £326 cost-of-living payment could be delayed for two groups of claimants
Melissa, 56, is now selling the 100-year-old trunk - which is expected to sell for £6,000 at auction - to protect it from her rescue cats. The estates officer, who lives in Middlesex, said: “We foster cats and I have to keep the trunk covered up all the time to stop them using it as scratching post.
“My dad bought the trunk in 1984 from an old bric-a-brac/antiques shop in the village of St Margarets, near Twickenham in London where we used to live.
“He got a job up north but I didn’t want to go. He bought me the trunk to use as there was a lack of storage in my first flat. I put linen in it. I’ve always used it but, over time, I kept noticing the name Louis Vuitton crop up more and more on TV antiques shows.
“I realised it might be valuable. Last year I emailed TV’s Antiques Roadshow to get a valuation and they asked me to bring it to the show. I was quite surprised. Everyone who knows me was laughing because I don’t like having my picture taken, let alone being on telly.
“I went along to the event at Ham House in Richmond upon Thames and their expert valued it at £3,000-£5,000.” The designer trunk, which is more than 100 years old, is now potentially worth even more.
It will be offered for auction by Hansons London on July 30 with a guide price of £4,000 to £6,000. Inside it is a copy of the Guardian newspaper which shows the date Melissa’s dad bought it – September 3, 1984.
Melissa said: “The trunk has been authenticated by Louis Vuitton. According to the serial number on the trunk, it was originally sold between 1909 and 1914.
“I’ve always looked after it but now I think it’s time for someone else to own it and appreciate it.”
The trunk will go under the hammer at Hansons London on Saturday, July 30.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT
Universal Credit claimants could see change in payments in August
Drivers urged to ignore speed camera myths as AA explain how they really work
Wild-eyed killer rants and raves at judge as he gets life for street execution
Family will 'never forget' man who died after crashing into house
Haydn Griffiths' sister sends touching message after body found at Pier Head
