Millions of pounds of extremely rare porcelain could see the light of day - for the first time in 500 years - in Witham
It follows the discovery of a 15th century vessel carrying 100,000 pieces of unique porcelain off the Vietnamese coast.
China plates - Steve Dempsey, of Witham-based firm Pineapple Direct, with a taster sample of the Vietnamese cargo which is up for auction in Los Angeles. Picture: ADRIAN RUSHTON
Witham-based firm Pineapple Direct will today dispatch buying staff to Los Angeles where the cargo is being sold.
The firm hopes to buy as much of it as possible and ship it back to Essex, where it will be sold to private collectors.
Gary Waskett, head of porcelain at the company, said: "It is the only Vietnamese cargo ever salvaged and it is very unusual," he said.
"The pieces we have seen so far have been excellent. The boat it comes from does not have a name as it went down before proper record keeping began in the area.
"But it went down off the Hoi An region of Vietnam in about 1480."
Published Wednesday, January 15, 2003
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