the cruelty of antique dealers

Two friends found an antique statue worth almost £100,000 in an ancient tomb in China - and then sold it on for the equivalent of just 28p. The pair, Feng and Zheng, were out hunting hares together when they saw a small hole in a field in central China’s Henan province. After a closer look they discovered the statue buried in a tomb along with more than 20 other antiques.

The men decided to sell the entire haul but were unaware that the painted female figure was actually worth approximately £93,000. Feng said: "We don't know the value of the things. The collector said the pottery means nothing so we gave it for free and he paid just 3 Yuan for the pottery woman."