Vases from the Tianshun period (1457-1464) come up in the marketplace on occasion, though they are not common. Provenance and assured authenticity are major factors that drive valuation for these items, as reproductions of these forms have been widely made in China starting in the 16th century and continuing to the present day. Auction results confirm that true authentic period vases sell for many thousands of dollars, and Ming imperial pieces for many hundreds of thousands or even more. At the other end of the spectrum, modern reproduction “Ming-style” vases sell for as little as a few hundred dollars.

The subject vase presented a number of troubling attributes. The four character markings on the base of the vase were atypical, both in their nature and their placement, which appeared to be on the inside bottom of the vase. Similarly, the reign marks that appeared in calligraphic script on the exterior neck of the piece were most unusual and again atypical of pieces from the stated period. The ceramic form lacked the refinement and grace of a Ming vase, with the broken base pieces being atypically thick. In addition there was a lack of glaze on the bottom rim and the form of the vase itself was cruder than would be typical of genuine 15th century pieces of Chinese porcelain.

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Based on these anomalies, contents claims specialists determined that the piece was in fact not authentic 15th century and was actually of 20th century manufacture. If it was a genuine 15th century piece — as accepted by the NYC appraisal firm — the true replacement value would have likely been closer to $70,000 rather than $7,000.

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Contents claims specialists determined that the piece was in fact a 20th century reproduction with a retail replacement value of approximately $200. While disappointed that the vase was not an authentic antique, the insured understood the clear evidence provided by contents claims specialists and accepted the valuation.