~ A Mother-of-Pearl Tankard ~
from the July 2007 TSACO Auction

The highlight of the 2007 SCI convention auction was the sale of lot 2267, this Mother-of-Pearl tankard. Estimated in the auction catalog at $12,000 to $18,000, attendees watched in amazement as three telephone bidders fought furiously over the stein, which was finally hammered at $105,000 ($120,750 when the buyer's premium was added).

The catalog description, which was amended to add additional information about the origin of the piece after the auction, is as follows:
Mother-of-Pearl tankard, 2.0L, 12.2" ht., late 1600s, made in India for the European market, small fishscale-style pieces assembled with gold pins, similar tankards are in museums in Berlin, Munich, & Dresden, very rare, a few of the small pieces have minor lines (estimated $12,000-$18,000)