A PLATE bought at a Hampshire charity shop for just £1 has sold for £1,760 at auction.

Sandra Buckland saw the abstract Poole Pottery plate in a charity shop in Winchester three years ago and thought the bright colours suited her home.

She had it hanging on the wall and then put it in a cardboard box in the loft until she realised its value while looking through a book on collectibles.

Mrs Buckland wrapped it in ten layers of bubble wrap when she found out how much the 1960s plate by Tony Morris was worth.

A private buyer paid £1,760 for it, including buyer's premium, at Cottees Auctions Ltd in Wareham, Dorset, last Saturday, April 28.

Mrs Buckland, from Swanage in Dorset, said: "It was absolutely astounding. It kept going up and up. I couldn't believe it."

Auctioneer John Condie said: "She was over the moon. She couldn't contain her excitement and was telling everyone around her that she had bought it for £1 and couldn't believe what it was selling for."

Mr Condie said prices have risen since the world-famous pottery was closed in December last year.

Poole Pottery has now been bought by Lifestyle, which is seeking new premises within Poole.