Any eBay buyer who takes a chance on antiques or vintage art is hoping to get lucky - buy an item cheap and sell it for big profits. One lucky PACK & SEND customer has recently done just that.

Recently striking gold, the PACK & SEND customer and eBay buyer (who has asked to remain anonymous) is about to make a huge profit from statues belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte that date back to the early 19th century.

10 years ago the lucky (or clever) buyer was trawling through eBay when he noticed some statues that caught his eye. The buyer spotted an engraving along the base of each of the two statues. The specific marking indicated that the pair of figures belonged to a larger set of statues with some serious significance.

The two statues belonged to a set of only 19 made in the world. What’s more significant is the statues belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution.

It seems the seller had no idea what was in their possession, letting go of the two statues for next to nothing, around $1900 AUD. After owning the sculptures in his private collection for the past 10 years, the buyer recently shipped them to Sotheby’s in the UK (with the help of PACK & SEND) and they confirmed what the buyer had hoped. The statues did indeed belong to Bonaparte and his set of 19. The expected selling price, $42,000 AUD! Not a bad little eBay purchase.

Considered to be one of the world’s most powerful and influential military leaders, artefacts and memorabilia belonging to Bonaparte have previously sold for substantial amounts.

Sotheby’s has previously sold other items belonging to the French leader including a lock of Napoleon’s hair mounted on paper for over $9000 AUD, a pair of Bonaparte’s unwashed silk socks for $5800 AUD, and a set of military documents for over $240,000 AUD! So it’s no real surprise that the statues would fetch a crazy amount of money, it shows the significance of the French leader.

Let’s hope the original owner is not reading this, pure disappointment! An auction of the statues held by Sotheby’s could easily garner more than the expected amount. Judging by the previous Sotheby auctions involving Napoleon Bonaparte memorabilia, that will most likely be the case. Who said history isn’t fun!

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When it comes to sending fine art or antiques, PACK & SEND are the experts at packing and shipping valuable and fragile items. Talk to your local PACK & SEND franchisee today for a quote on 1300 668 000.