Two broken garden gnomes have sold for a whopping £1,000 at auction.
One of the ornaments has two legs missing, the other one doesn’t have any arms.
They went under the hammer with a bucket full of spare parts.
Auctioneers admitted they had “seen better days” and were fit for the “bin.”
The seller admitted in the lot description they had “faults.”
But the terracotta gnomes were put up for sale with an optimistic estimated price of just £50.
However, staff and bidders at John Nicholson Auctioneers, in Haslemere, Surrey were stunned when they sold for twenty times that.
The mystery buyer from Wales wanted them to add to his gnome collection.
They want to open a museum dedicated the garden figurines.
The gnomes were listed as” “A large pair of moulded terracotta gnomes, faults.”
A John Nicholson Auctioneers spokesperson said: “Two missing legs, two missing arms, and a bucket of spare parts.
“Not the most promising start to an auction for a couple of garden gnomes that have seen better days and were nearly put in the bin.
“But bidders were open-mouthed when these two terracotta warriors of the garden sold for a stunning £1,000.”
The spokesperson added: “Now the pair – exceptionally well-detailed figures and cast with a great deal of character – are heading for a new home in Wales.
“The successful bidder will place them at the heart of a new collection at a soon-to-be-established gnome museum.”
