Russian vases from 1833 purchased by oil magnate sell for $2.7 million ahead of auction

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This photo made Thursday, April 4, 2013, shows rare Russian vases made in 1833 by Russia\'s Imperial Porcelain Factory and on display at the Dallas Auction Gallery in Dallas. The rare 4 1/2-foot tall vases, which had been packs away for around a decade, were sold Thursday, April 11, 2013, for .7 million in a private sale about a week before they were to be auctioned. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

DALLAS – Randy Buttram seldom gave much thought to the two ornate vases that graced the entrance of his grandparents’ Oklahoma City mansion as he was growing up.

The vases later belonged to his parents, but for around a decade they had been packed away. It turned out they were rare and extremely valuable, bringing $2.7 million Thursday in a private sale.

The auction company realized their value as they were assessing items inherited by Buttram and his brother at their late parents’ house. The vases carried blue marking of Russia’s Imperial Porcelain Factory used during the reign of Nicholas I with the date of 1833.

Buttram’s grandparents bought the vases in 1928 while travelling through Europe.

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