Moorcroft vase sells for 'record-breaking' £31k

A 111-year-old Moorcroft vase has sold for what auctioneers claim is a record-breaking sum for the brand, of £31,500.

The Flambe Carp vase, designed in about 1914 by Staffordshire potter William Moorcroft, sold on Wednesday.

Auctioneer Woolley and Wallis said it was the highest price a Moorcroft piece had ever been sold for at auction, breaking a record of £26,840, set when the same vase sold in 2012.

The sale came days after Stoke-on-Trent-based Moorcroft Pottery, which collapsed in April, was bought by Will Moorcroft, grandson of William Moorcroft – the firm's founder.

Michael Jeffrey, a specialist with Salisbury-based Woolley and Wallis, said the sale came at a "poignant time" for the factory, workers and collectors.

He told BBC Radio Stoke he was "amazed" at the amount it sold for, having set an initial guide price for the sale of between £6,000 and £10,000.

"Obviously it's a wonderful piece and Moorcroft collectors remember it from last time," he added.

"I think Moorcroft being in the news the whole time helped."

The double gourd-shaped vase is decorated with three carp fish swimming around it, painted in a technique mastered by Mr Moorcroft called tubelining.

Mr Jeffrey said the winning bid was made by a private collector and the vase would be staying in the UK.

The same bidder also bought a similar Moorcroft vase during the auction for £25,200.

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