Christine Rehm hunter turned an ordinary purchase into an astonishing find. Five years ago near Alicante, she and her husband, Manfred, bought two glass vases at a jumble sale for just 8 euros. This Tuesday, those same vases crossed the auction block and sold for £1,200 (about 1,365 euros).
Rehm, now 65, later admitted that the purchase happened at a market where items were sometimes sourced from the trunks of abandoned cars. She recalls not knowing the true value at the time: “I just like the style and color. The seller had marked them at 10 euros, but since he wanted to move them quickly, I could take them for 8 euros.” The discovery of their value came years later and sparked renewed interest in their origins.
Looking at the vases, the couple initially stored them in a display cabinet. During a hall remodel, they decided to test whether the pieces might worth more than their everyday appeal. They took the vases to Richard Winterton Auctioneers at Burton Market Hall for an expert assessment, hoping for a clear verdict on their potential value.
Genuine Loetz Parts
After returning to England in 2021, the family decided to seek a formal valuation. An antiques expert confirmed the pieces as authentic Loetz parts, crafted by a renowned Bohemian Art Nouveau glassmaker known for striking designs that have a lasting allure in the auction world. In recent years, similar Loetz items have commanded strong bidding at auction houses when their authenticity is established.
The two 13-centimeter-high vases, featuring a cloverleaf silhouette, belong to the Loetz family, a name associated with the Art Nouveau period. They date from the early 1900s, a time when Loetz’s art glass reached a peak in craftsmanship and popularity. The appraisal carried out by Richard Winterton Auctioneers identified them as collectible pieces with genuine provenance during a recent valuation event in Burton Market Hall.
The vases were presented to bidders on Tuesday morning, May 2, during a dedicated sale day. The result underscored the enduring demand for well-preserved Loetz glass and the market’s appreciation for authentic period design.
Williams, the principal valuation expert at the firm, explained that the Loetz vases belong to a category known for its wavy or feathered surface pattern. This distinctive effect is achieved by wrapping strips of hot glass around a molten base, a technique that was patented in 1898 and became a hallmark of the period’s glass artistry.
“I’m so glad I brought them”
Loetz pieces are celebrated as among the most iconic examples of Art Nouveau glass. They endured through World War I, the economic turmoil of the 1930s, and even multiple factory fires. The era’s designers kept pushing boundaries until the Loetz factory ultimately closed its doors in 1947.
The couple, now with three adult children, returned to the United Kingdom in 2021 after spending 15 years in Spain. Christine emphasized that bringing the vases home was a fortunate decision, feeling deeply satisfied to have added them to their collection and to have discovered their value later in the journey.