A WILTON woman would happily have accepted "a tenner" for a cardboard boxful of junk that for decades had been gathering dust in her loft.

The box contained a battered old copper kettle, a few Delft plates . . . and a cracked blue-and-white figure of a seated Chinaman.

Luckily for her, the Chinaman was spotted by ceramics expert John Axford, of local auctioneers Woolley & Wallis - and now it is expected to fetch thousands of pounds at an auction in May. The 4in-high piece turned out to be the earliest English porcelain blue-and-white figure known to exist.

Research has shown it was made in the 18th Century at the short-lived Limehouse pottery, which was active in London's East End between 1746 and 1748.

The Chinaman came to light when the great-great-granddaughter of an early owner decided to clear the loft of the family home.

Mr Axford said: "This box was under a table in our storeroom and I could hardly believe my eyes when I found this extraordinary piece, dating from around 1747, at the bottom of the pile.

"The owner, who sent in the box to clear some space, says it has been in the family for 150 years - but nobody appreciated its significance or rarity.

"It is impossible to estimate how much it will sell for because it is a one-off but I would have thought it would make between £10,000 and £15,000.

"A collector who saw it the other day has bet me a bottle of wine that it will go for £50,000.

"The Limehouse pottery produced mainly teapots, tea canisters, plates and sauceboats but the seated Chinaman is the only known human figure to exist.

"Two creamware Whieldon models copied from the same print are known - but nothing in porcelain has previously surfaced.

"The owner was naturally shocked but delighted when we told her what it was."

The 70-year-old owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I'm amazed it's worth so much money.

"I remember the moment it was broken by my grandmother's maid in the 1940s, during the war.

"Luckily it was decided to glue it back together, rather than throw it away."

She said the figure originally had been bought by her great-great-grandmother, an avid but indiscriminate collector of blue-and-white pottery from all over the world. The Chinaman spent most of his years at the family home in High Street, Salisbury.

The figurine is due to go up for sale at the Woolley & Wallis auction rooms on May 24.