Garden ornament sphinxes valued at £300 found to be from Ancient Egypt and sold for £195,000

A PAIR of garden ornament sphinxes valued at £300 turned out to be from ancient Egypt and sold for £195,000.

The badly weathered stone lumps had been cemented to a patio after their owners bought them at a country house sale 15 years ago.

East Anglia News ServiceA pair of garden ornament sphinxes valued at £300 turned out to be from ancient Egypt and sold for £195,000[/caption]

One of them had even been crudely repaired by a builder using cement.

But art experts realised they could be up to 5,000 years old, which sparked a bidding war.

Auctioneer James Mander said: “We had no indication of their value until the auction began.

“The bidding started at £200 and quickly went up to £100,000 until the hammer finally fell at £195,000 to an international auction gallery.”

The 110cm-long sphinxes — with a human head on a lion’s body — were thought to be 18th century copies.

Their owners, of Clare, Suffolk, were moving house and put the statues up for sale as they did not fit their new home’s style.

Mr Mander, of Mander Auctioneers, Sudbury, Suffolk, said: “This was an exciting day.

“We were very pleased to inform the vendors who had enjoyed these as garden ornaments with no idea of their true value.”

East Anglia News ServiceThe bidding started at £200 and quickly went up to £100,000 until the hammer finally fell at £195,000 to an international auction gallery[/caption]

East Anglia News ServiceOne of the sphinxes had even been crudely repaired by a builder using cement[/caption]