Image tweeted by @HansonsUK.

A man was busy with some clean-up over coronavirus lockdown when he unearthed a rare finding worth thousands of pounds.

The UK man was dusting up in a Midlands garage when he found an imperial Chinese wine ewer.

Clueless of the real worth, he initially thought the antique teapot gathering dust was an old object for charity. The centuries-old object, moved to a loft in a box by its owner after it was sitting around in a garage, may have belonged to an emperor.

According to the Hanson Auctions UK, the 18th-century Beijing-enamelled flask which resembles a teapot is worth £100,000. Hansons Auctioneers estimated the tiny 15cm object at £20,000-£40,000, but considering the demand of the imperial artworks by rich Chinese, buyers could fetch up to £100,000.

The 51-year-old manual worker, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the extravagant discovery belonged to his grandfather, a soldier stationed in Far East Asia during World War Two.

The man who found the Chinese jug said that his mother, who passed away 20 years ago, used to display it in the cabinet of their house. He admitted that it was later boxed up and put away in the loft of the garage and he since has on mind to give it away to a charity shop.

He added that he always called the ‘teapot’ special and spent time looking up the internet for information about the same.

The item rediscovered at the current owner’s Derbyshire home was brought to Etwall Auction Centre near Derby for valuation. The treasure dates back to the Qianlong period (1735-99).

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said in a press release, “This has to be the best lockdown find ever. Two almost identical teapots are in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, and the Palace Museum in Beijing, China. It’s astonishing to find an emperor’s ewer in a Derbyshire home.”

The pot is due to be sold in an online auction on September 24.