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A family have been left stunned after a pair of ancient Egyptian sphinx statues which they had been using as garden ornaments sold for £195,000 at auction.
The lumps of stone were purchased for just £300 some 15 years ago, and were though to be be 18th or 19th century replicas, initially being valued at no more than £500 by Mander Auctioneers of Sudbury, Suffolk.
But art experts recognised them as likely to be ancient Egyptian artefacts, dating back up to 5,000 years, leading to intense bidding for them at an auction on Saturday.
The family from Clare, Suffolk, who owned the sphinxes, each around 110cms long, had bought them at a country house sale in Cambridgeshire.
The moss-covered statues which had been repaired with modern cement were eventually snapped up by an international art gallery for £195,000 with a 24% premium added, meaning £241,800 was paid.
The badly weathered lumps of stone (pictured) were originally thought to be 18th or 19th century replicas and valued at between £300 and £500 by Mander Auctioneers of Sudbury, Suffolk
As well as being repaired with
