The owner of a rare Sevres ceramic plate and teapot got a pleasant surprise on June 18, as the recently discovered pair brought a total of £38,125 ($64,650).

There are only two known saucers in this style in existence

Inherited from his father, the consignor was unaware of the value of the plates, which were discovered in his home by Bonhams' Sam Tuke, who had been called to value his Chinese porcelain.

The teapot is in a very unusual colour and sold for £32,500.

"I spotted the Sevres teapot on the client's pine dresser in the kitchen," Tuke told the BBC.

The blue and turquoise shellwork is an extremely rare variant of this style

"It turned out that I'd found a rather special Sevres teapot with a very unusual colour. On looking around some more I also found a Sevres plate that was shown at the Great Exhibition in 1851 [at Crystal Palace]."

The ceramic saucer was painted by Jean-Francois Philippine, one of Sevres most famous artists, and an old label on the reverse shows that it was sent as part of the company's display to the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Only one other known saucer in this style is known to exist, and it was sold along with a matching milk jug for $25,000 in New York.

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