An elderly client bought a dusty old painting from a house sale for fifty pounds. After painstaking research, our enterprising antiquarian discovered than of a mural painted centuries ago by an Italian master, (originally comprising eight separate 'Angels'), had since fragmented and only six of these components had subsequently been rediscovered.
You guessed it! He had found one of the two missing Angels.
He decided to keep the painting for a few years as the silver lining of his retirement. When he eventually took the masterpiece to a well known auctioneer, explaining the work's history, he was told that he was mistaken and that the work was a copy. He reluctantly took the five hundred pounds that was offered and thought no more about it until he saw his Angel in the paper with a story apparently leaked by another member of staff at the auctioneers.
The picture had been sold by the auctioneer to an acquaintance who had then used another well known auctioneer to sell the painting for it's true value.
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS!!
Following discussions with the original auctioneer, our client and the national press, a satisfactorily large five figure sum was paid to our client.
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