The seller said they had no idea if the vase was genuine or a copy.
A tiny vase bought from a UK thrift store for just 2.50 Pounds is expected to sell for up to 9,000 pounds, CNN reported.
A couple purchased the 10 cm tall ornament after they spotted it in the southeastern English county of Surrey, on the edge of London, Canterbury Auction Galleries said in a press release.
"My partner Ahmet and I wandered into the charity shop to have a look around - I always head for the books and he heads off to look for art and vintage stuff," said seller Karen, who only provided her first name, in the release. "He's not an expert but he does have great taste and an instinct for the 'real thing.'"
"He came over and showed me the vase and I said something a bit dismissive like 'very pretty'. 'No, look at the base!' he said, and showed me the etched marks," she added.
The specialist at Canterbury Auction Galleries has identified it as the work of Namikawa Yasuyuki, one of Japan's most famous artists from the Meiji Period.
Gallery co-director Cliona Kilroy said the item was "highly sought after," BBC reported.
The seller said they had no idea if the vase was genuine or a copy.
"Ahmet is not an expert but he does have great taste and an instinct for the real thing," Karen said.
The couple purchased the item for a grand total of 2.50 pounds before contacting the auction house for an expert valuation.
"The beautiful work by Yasuyuki's Kyoto studio is held in several collections and is highly sought-after," said specialist Cliona Kilroy, co-director of Canterbury Auction Galleries, in the release. "He and Namikawa Sosuke were the most famous cloisonne artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries - the 'Golden Age' of enamelling in Japan."
The vase comes up for auction at our online weekend sale on July 29-30. Depending on the final hammer price, the lucky couple plans a holiday - and a generous donation to the charity that ran the unnamed shop, the auction house said.
The vase comes up for auction online on Saturday, July 29.